By Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Things may be coming together.
As the Philadelphia Eagles head into their third preseason game, against the Indianapolis Colts, they will do so with a defense coming off a tremendous performance and an offense that is short on playmakers, but has a lot of guys with a lot of potential.
Quarterbacks
| Indianapolis Colts (1-1) | Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) |
| 12 Andrew Luck | 7 Sam Bradford |
| 2015 Stats: 1881 YD, 15 TD, 12 INT | 2015 Stats: 3,725 YD, 19 TD, 14 INT |
Sam Bradford looked better in last week's game, but was unable to put together a big drive or push the ball into the end zone. While he is still waiting on the return of Jordan Matthews, Bradford has to hope for his other receivers to finally step up or it will be another long game of check downs and short completions.
Andrew Luck is back in the fold for the Colts and he was a perfect 8-for-8 in their game last week against the Baltimore Ravens. Luck will prove to be a huge test for an Eagles defense that laid waste to Landry Jones and company a week ago.
Running Backs
| Indianapolis Colts (1-1) | Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) |
| 34 Josh Ferguson | 24 Ryan Mathews |
| Preseason Stats: 13 Att, 9 YD | 2015 Stats: 106 Att, 539 YD, 6 TD |
Ryan Mathews didn't look as dominant last week as he did during the Eagles' preseason opener, but he will still see extended snaps as the first team offense is expected to play almost the entire first half. Also, keep an eye on Wendell Smallwood who will finally be making his preseason debut after missing the past two weeks with a hamstring injury. The rookie should get a lot of snaps in order to get him acclimated to the pace of the NFL.
The Colts have been giving their lead back, Frank Gore, a lot of rest, and in turn, undrafted rookie Josh Ferguson has taken his place. Although the Colts still see a lot of promise in the shifty back, he has struggled mightily in their first two preseason games. Either he is due for a breakout performance, or the team is simply asking too much from the rookie at this time.
Wide Receivers
| Indianapolis Colts (1-1) | Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) | ||
| 3 Chester Rogers | Preseason Stats: 7 Rec, 94 YD, 1 TD | 17 Nelson Agholor | 2015 Stats: 23 Rec, 283 YD, 1 TD |
| 5 Tevaun Smith | Preseason Stats: 5 Rec, 52 YD, 1 TD | 82 Rueben Randle | 2015 Stats: 57 Rec, 797 YD, 8 TD |
Nelson Agholor had a nice leaping grab last week and showed flashes of the guy who played well at USC. However, the big news for the Eagles is the addition of Dorial Green-Beckham. The former Titan will have a limited role on offense, but Pederson has said that DGB will get some snaps with the first-team offense. It will be interesting to see if Bradford tries to force the ball to his new down-field target.
For the Colts, Chester Rogers and Tevaun Smith have been their leading receivers through the first two weeks of the preseason, thanks to limited time played by their first-team offense. On that first group, the Eagles will certainly have to worry about TY Hilton as he's the little, shifty type of receiver the Eagles defensive backs have had trouble keeping up with in the past.
Defense
| Indianapolis Colts (1-1) | Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) | ||
| 90 Kendall Langford | 2015 Stats: 7.0 Sacks, 23 Tackles | 91 Fletcher Cox | 2015 Stats: 71 Tackles, 9.5 Sacks |
| 52 D'Qwell Jackson | 2015 Stats: 60 Tackles | 58 Jordan Hicks | 2015 Stats: 50 Tackles, 2 INT |
| 21 Vontae Davis | 2015 Stats: 38 Tackles, 4 INT | 21 Leodis McKelvin | 2015 Stats: 25 Tackles, 2 INT |
The Eagles defense is coming off a superb performance against the Steelers reserves, but Luck and the rest of the Colts offense should be a good test for Fletcher Cox and company. If this unit is going to be considered a top-tier defense in 2016, they can start by playing well tonight in extended time against a top-tier offense.
Indianapolis's defense has been decimated with injuries in recent weeks, and their secondary is especially banged up. The Colts will head into the game with neither of their starting cornerbacks available, which may be the boost the Eagles struggling passing game needs to get off the ground.
Player to Watch
| Indianapolis Colts (1-1) | Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) |
| 1 Pat McAfee | 18 Dorial Green-Beckham |
| Preseason Stats: 0-1 FGs | 2015 Stats: 32 catches, 549 YD, 4 TD |
Green-Beckham got a few snaps with the second-team offense last week, but failed to make anything happen with his two targets. With an expanded role and time on the field with Bradford, look for the Eagles to try to get some chemistry between the quarterback and wide receiver in hopes of boosting their vertical passing attack.
Second straight week we're going out of the box with this pick, but the Colts are having McAfee (their punter) take their field goal attempts that are over 50 yards. I assume it has something to do with Adam Vinatieri's age, but it's not often you see a punter getting shots at kicking like this.
Injury Report
|
Indianapolis Colts (1-1) |
Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) |
||||
| CB Vontae Davis | Ankle | Out |
DE Alex McCalister |
Calf | Out |
| LB Robert Mathis | Foot | Out | LB Joe Walker | Knee | Out |
| CB Patrick Robinson | Groin | Out | DT Mike Martin | Knee |
Out |
| CB Antonio Cromartie | Rest | Out |
WR Jordan Matthews |
Knee |
Out |
| DT Henry Anderson | Knee | Out | QB Carson Wentz | Ribs | Out |
| DE Kendall Langford | Knee | Out | G Isaac Seumalo | Pectoral | Out |
| G Hugh Thornton | Ankle | Out | CB Aaron Grymes | Shoulder | Out |
| LB Sio Moore | Hamstring | Out | |||
| T Joe Haeg | Ankle | Out | |||
| CB D'Joun Smith | Ankle | Out | |||
| CB Jalil Brown | Knee | Out | |||
| CB Tevin Mitchel | Shoulder | Out | |||
| S Clayton Geathers | Foot | Out | |||
Game Notes
- The Eagles and Colts last played each other in 2014, where the Eagles bested Indianapolis on Monday Night Football.
- This will also be the Eagles debut of newly-signed linebacker Stephen Tulloch.
- Throught the first two preseason games, the Eagles have forced nine turnovers. That is roughly double the rate they forced turnovers a season ago.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC10 (Scott Graham, Mike Mayock, Dave Spadaro)
Radio: 94 Sportsradio WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Howard Eskin)
