The Bears will watch the same scouting tape again next week.
They’re the next opponent for both the Colts and Jaguars, who played each other Sunday in London. They’ll play the Colts on Sunday and the Jaguars next week, after Jacksonville enjoys a bye.
For that to happen outside the division is rare. What’s more amazing: both are AFC teams — the Bears only play four of those all year.
“You go through so many schedules and so many weird things happen with the schedule,” coach John Fox said. “I’m sure it’s happened somewhere down the line.”
While we find an intern to research that, here are 10 more questions for the Bears:
1. Does Brian Hoyer hear the quarterback controversy talk?
“Sure,” he said. “It’s kind of inevitable. I try not to pay attention to the media, but when friends, family members reach out to you, you kind of figure it out. … I’m not putting too much into it. I’m just trying to prepare the best I can and do what I’m asked of.”
He’s used to it; Hoyer’s on his fifth team in five years.
“With every situation that I’ve dealt with in my career, dealing with the quarterback situation, at this point I’m just trying to keep doing what I’m doing,” he said.
2. Think John Timu had a good week?
On Tuesday, Sept. 27, the inside linebacker was promoted to the active roster. Sunday, he started and starred in a Bears win.
In between, Timu had an even bigger thrill: his wife and 2-year-old son moved to Chicago. They had been living in San Diego; Amanda, his high school sweetheart, was an aviation mechanic in the Navy.
“Not bad, huh?” he said after Sunday’s game. “It’s been real awesome. I get to have my family here. That’s why I’m here. I love this game, but internally I do it for those guys. That’s my ‘why.’”
Danny Trevathan figures to start in Timu’s place if his right thumb feels good Sunday.
3. What happens if Eddie Royal can’t play?
Practice squadder Daniel Braverman is the only other slot receiver on the roster.
“He works hard,” offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “There’s something to the kid. He had a good training camp, a good round of OTAs. We’ll see.”
As for punt returns, special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers listed Bryce Callahan, Cre’Von LeBlanc and even Tracy Porter as candidates.
4. How important is it that Royal plays?
Hoyer had a perfect quarterback rating — 158.3 — when throwing to him Sunday.
5. Shouldn’t someone build a Lou Malnati’s in Indianapolis?
The Colts have five players who played high school football in the Chicago area: Offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo (Lake Zurich), inside linebacker Antonio Morrison (Bolingbrook), quarterback Scott Tolzien (Fremd), running back Josh Ferguson (Joliet Catholic) and cornerback Rashaan Melvin (Waukegan).
6. What happened to Andrew Luck’s book club?
Rather than read on the flight to London, the Colts quarterback— who runs a locker room book club — watched two movies: “The Hateful Eight” and “Sing Street.”
“Needed to turn the brain completely off,” he said.
The review?
“They were both interesting. Very different movies,” he said. “’Sing Street’ I enjoyed. ‘Hateful Eight’ was long, Quentin Tarantino, so there’s always a couple twists and it was a little gory. A little bloody.”
Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman, who spent four years with the Colts, wasn’t in the book club.
“I’m an academic scholarship guy,” he said, “but I don’t know, he’s still over my head.”
7. Has Fox ever been to a Cubs game?
One — and Alshon Jeffery threw out the first pitch.
“I’m hoping for them, like everybody in our area,” Fox said of the playoffs. “It’s exciting, no doubt.”
8. Wanna bet?
The Bears, 4 ½-point underdogs, are 6-3 against the spread in their last nine road games, and 3-0 against the spread when playing in Indianapolis.
9. How are the Bears’ supposed to tackle Luck?
Fox has seen the 6-4, 240-pound quarterback swat defenders away and make a big throw. The solution?
“Coach has been preaching to us about tackling the ball,” outside linebacker Leonard Floyd said. “Trying to get him to get down without him getting the ball off at the last second to make a big play.”
10. White, finally?
For the first time all year, the Bears will wear their white jerseys Sunday in Indianapolis. They were 5-3 in them last season.
