Nick Foles and the Chicago Bears made a late charge, but it wasn’t enough in the end. The Indianapolis Colts are proving that their Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars was far more aberration than a predictor of things to come. Their defense has been one of the best in the NFL over the past three weeks, and their three wins over that span are indicative of that.
Editor's note: All of PFF's grades and advanced stats from this game will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle.
Story of the Game
The Nick Foles era in Chicago started with a whimper, as the Super Bowl LII MVP struggled to find his mark with an adjusted completion percentage of only 65.6% on the day. It’s not as if Philip Rivers was much better, but Rivers didn’t make any costly mistakes with the football while Foles committed one turnover-play.
Roquan Smith almost made the play of the game with his diving interception in the end zone, but that was no fault of Rivers, as it was a normal contested situation.
Quarterback play wasn't the only factor in this low-scoring contest, as the rushing offenses on both sides were completely ineffective. Of the 50 carries in the game between both teams, only seven went for first downs. Jonathan Taylor logged 16 carries for 67 yards and failed to break a single tackle, while David Montgomery had 27 yards on 10 carries with two broken tackles.
I wish I could say the lack offense was a product of good defense, but there wasn’t too much to write home about in terms of standout defensive performances. Anthony Walker was the lone standout this evening, with four run stops and two coverage stops for the Colts. Darius Leonard told us in the offseason that Walker was one of the most underrated players in the NFL, and he looked like it on Sunday.
Rookie Watch
Fifth-round receiver Darnell Mooney easily had the highlight of the rookie class with his leaping grab over Xavier Rhodes.
If Darnell Mooney can do this there’s really not much stopping him from becoming one of the league’s best deep threats pic.twitter.com/IUmHwaY2F9
— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) October 4, 2020
He’s been a bright spot in a Bears rookie class without a first-round pick.
Another bright spot has been cornerback Jaylon Johnson. He was once again up to his stingy ways, allowing only two catches from six targets for 44 yards and forcing two incompletions. Johnson looks like a key to one of the NFL’s best defenses.
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