Robert Mathis, four other Colts listed as questionable for game vs. Bears

There will be a battle of 1-3 teams in Indianapolis this Sunday as the Indianapolis Colts take on the Chicago Bears, and the Colts are pretty healthy entering the game. The only players ruled out for the matchup for Indianapolis were expected: center Jonotthan Harrison (appendectomy) and wide receiver Donte Moncrief (shoulder).

There are a handful of players listed as questionable, however: cornerback Darius Butler (hamstring), guard Denzelle Good (back), tackle Joe Reitz (back), outside linebacker Robert Mathis (foot), and running back Robert Turbin (wrist/shoulder).

Head coach Chuck Pagano did say today that everyone besides Harrison and Moncrief should be good to go for the game, however, so there’s reason for optimism that the questionable guys will play. Remember, there’s no probable designation this year, so questionable doesn’t always mean what it used to. So it’s likely that the guys listed as questionable will all be up for the team on Sunday, but they’re at least noting.

Mathis in particular is one to pay attention to, because it’s apparantly a lingering issue. He missed practice on Wednesday and Friday this week, and it appears to be in an effort to let him recover from his injury and also to keep him fresh for Sundays.

When asked about his confidence in level in Mathis today, Pagano said that it’s, “very high. Very high. He’s dealing with some stuff, you guys know he’s dealing with some stuff, and he’s getting healthier. And we’re doing the right thing by him in giving him the time that he needs from a practice standpoint and a preparation standpoint so that when he gets to Sunday he’s as fresh as he can be and then we’ve got to be smart of when to play him and those type of things.”

Pagano said that Mathis has been dealing with the injury situation “for a while.” Mathis typically appears on the injury report each week due to a rest day, but the last time he appeared on the injury report for an actual injury was in week two (also for the foot injury). General manager Ryan Grigson also confirmed earlier this year that Mathis was dealing with the injury in preseason and that the Colts were managing the issue and taking it easy on him.

Mathis hasn’t done much of anything this year, and everyone knows it - Mathis, Pagano, the fans, the media, and everyone in between. They’ve all admitted as much this week, but the team still has confidence that Mathis will be able to be a productive pass rusher - partly because they absolutely need him to be.