The Indianapolis Colts' starting linebacker and one of the best at his position in the NFL stood on the sideline in the role as a spectator with a jacket draped over his shoulders and a hat on his head for the entire second half.
A moment like that would have likely been a problem for the Colts in the past.
That’s no longer the case, though, because the Colts aren’t built around only one player. They’re built to be a complete team that can win a number of different ways.
That was the case Sunday when Indianapolis' defense proved once again why it has been the stingiest in the NFL when it locked up the Chicago Bears 19-11 despite losing All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard to a groin injury in the first half. The victory ended a six-game road losing streak for the Colts.
Some took the Colts' success on defense so far – No. 1 scoring defense and yards per game – as a possible fluke because their previous two games were against the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings, who are combined 1-7 on the season.
The Bears were supposed to be a test for Indianapolis, especially since they came into Sunday undefeated and supposedly upgraded the quarterback position by going with Nick Foles over Mitchell Trubisky.
So much for that.
The Colts dominated the Bears the same way they dominated the Jets and Vikings the previous two weeks, by holding the Bears to 28 yards rushing, 269 total yards and 4-of-14 on third down conversions. Rookie safety Julian Blackmon sealed the win when he intercepted Foles inside the red zone with less than 10 minutes left in the game.
The Colts spent so many years struggling on defense, but the unit has been the strength of the roster so far this season.
Indianapolis has given up just 29 points while also intercepting seven passes over the past three games.
Troubling trend: It’s a good thing the Colts were able to lean so heavily on their defense because their offense sputtered all game long.
The start seemed promising after quarterback Philip Rivers threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mo Alie-Cox.
That ended up being the biggest offensive highlight for the Colts.
They entered the game being the only team in the NFL not having a three-and-out offensive series this season. They had four three-and-out series against the Bears to go along with being 1-of-4 in the red zone.
Rivers was not sharp for most of the game. He missed some first down throws to Zach Pascal and T.Y. Hilton. Rivers finished the game 16-of-29 for 190 yards.
"BUY" on a breakout performance: Rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship supplied the bulk of the scoring for the Colts. The University of Georgia product was a perfect 4-of-4 on field goals to go with an extra point.
Blankenship, who replaced future Hall-of-Famer Adam Vinatieri, is now 12-of-14 on field goals this season to go with a perfect 9-of-9 on extra points.