Tantalizing Ten - Eagles Edition
Each week, we will take a look at 10 players that will have a big impact in the game. Who are the "Tantalizing Ten" when the Colts and Eagles meet on Monday night?
Narrowing down the pass rush to just one person is impossible, but Werner will receive a ton of the edge reps. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles was sacked five times in the season opener. All those sacks came in the first half, when the Jaguars broke out to a 17-0 halftime lead over the Eagles.
Without the likes of Robert Mathis and Jerrell Freeman, Jackson is the veteran voice of the Colts linebackers corps. Communication is going to be such a key on Monday night and that means Jackson will have to be vocal in getting all 11 defenders on the same page each snap.
It's a "Where's Waldo" mindset for the Colts defense identifying No. 25 in a white jersey. McCoy is the prototypical back for Chip Kelly's offense. He's elusive in the open field and is a major threat out in the receiving game. McCoy was the Eagles leading receiver in Week One.
A ton of eyes will be on McNary making his first NFL start on Monday night. He's filling in for leading tackler Jerrell Freeman. Chuck Pagano says McNary is as athletic as any linebacker on the Colts roster and that will be needed for a guy having to defend so much speed and space the Eagles offense creates.
Luck and the Colts offense moved the ball well against the Broncos. A complete game now would come with the ability to finish off those drives with scores. This will be the second time that Luck has played under the spotlight of Monday Night Football.
Sustaining drives is a high priority for the Colts offense and an efficient ground attack would certainly help that cause. Richardson had nine touches for 51 yards in the season opener and it's no secret that the Colts want to see those numbers increase going forward.
Colts fans know all too well how electric of a game breaker Sproles can be. With so much attention (and deservedly so) towards stopping McCoy, Sproles is a dangerous weapon in a multitude of ways. In the Eagles season opener, it was Sproles' 49-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-one that started 34 straight second-half points.
Holmes is listed as questionable on the Colts final injury report. Shipley was your Week One starter and by all accounts played pretty well, considering he joined the team just six days prior to the season opener. Outside of center, the Colts offense doesn't really have any injury concerns (besides your injured reserve guys) heading into Monday night.
The last two times Hilton has played in Lucas Oil Stadium, in meaningful games, he turned in career performances. With such a loaded receiving group, the targets are going to vary week-to-week. Hilton has shown that he doesn't need too many touches to greatly impact a game.
Foles' numbers in road starts are downright scary for any opposing defense. Hostile environments don't seem to rattle the second-year quarterback. Ball security for Foles is going to be something to watch on Monday night. Last year, he committed just four turnovers in 10 starts. In week one, Foles had three turnovers in the first half.
