Chicago Bears

Bears at Colts: Highlights, score, and recap

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Both the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts were looking for their second victory of the season on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

We are already one-quarter into the NFL season (with the exception of the 3-0 Philadelphia Eagles and 2-1 Green Bay Packers) and the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts both find themselves in early holes.

John Fox’s team comes off its first victory of 2016 via last Sunday’s 17-14 triumph over the Detroit Lions. But the Bears are already three games behind the NFC North leading Minnesota Vikings.

Meanwhile, the Colts as well as their divisional neighbors in Jacksonville and Tennessee, are all 1-3 and two games behind the Houston Texans in the AFC South.

The not-so-magical number for Chuck Pagano’s squad has been 30 – as in allowing at least that many points in each of their three losses this year. Only the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are allowing more points per game this season. And that’s good news for a Bears’ squad that has totaled 17 points or less in each of their four contests in 2016.

This has all the makings of a game where the last team with the football wins. And that has usually meant good things when it comes to Andrew Luck.

Highlights

Posted Live as They Happen

Three Stars

1. Brian Hoyer

Since taking over for an injured Jay Cutler during the Bears’ Monday night loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the journeyman signal-caller has played quite well. For the season he’s hitting on 69.1 percent of his throws for 697 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Hoyer takes aim at a Colts’ defense ranked 24th in the league in terms of total yards and passing yards allowed per game.

2. Frank Gore

Although the Colts have dropped three of their first four games, the team showed in last week’s loss to Jacksonville that they’re still determined to give their veteran running back the football. Gore has rushed for 253 yards and two scores on 64 carries this season and has also chipped in with 13 catches for 66 yards and one touchdown. Only six teams in the NFL are allowing more rushing yards per games than the Chicago Bears these days.

3. Erik Walden

The Colts have produced only seven sacks in four games but the outside linebacker has four of those quarterback traps, as well as a pair of forced fumbles. The Bears have surrendered 11 sacks in four games, although eight of those were inflicted on Jay Cutler. Indianapolis’ front seven must put some heat on Chicago quarterback Brian Hoyer.

Odds

The Indianapolis Colts were a 5-point favorite to win their second game of 2016. In their first four contests this season, Chuck Pagano’s club was just 1-3 ATS, failing to cover in all three of their outright losses.

Next Week

Lots of ramifications when it comes to the AFC South. The Bears host the well-rested Jacksonville Jaguars, off last week after playing in London the previous Sunday. The Indianapolis Colts head to the Lone Star State to battle the division-leading Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football.