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With Jeremy Langford sidelined due to an ankle injury, former IU running back Jordan Howard got the call last week to start for the Chicago Bears. The rookie delivered, rushing for 111 yards on 23 carries. He also caught three balls for 21 yards from Brian Hoyer - himself filling in for an injured Jay Cutler. Thanks in part to Howard’s strong play, the Bears got their first victory of the season, beating the Lions, 17-14.
Now, Howard gets to go back to the state where he played college ball for one year, as the Bears will face the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium at 1pm on Sunday afternoon.
The last time Jordan Howard played a game in the state of Indiana, he spent the day dominating a very good Michigan defense. Now, he’ll get a chance to repeat his performance from last Sunday with a game against the Colts, who do not have a good defense. Both teams come into the game with a 1-3 record, but the Colts are coming off another bomb of a performance in London against the Jaguars (and a long flight back without a bye week), whereas the Bears will look to build upon the momentum of last Sunday’s win. The Bears are still rebuilding, but the Colts look to be an absolute disaster so far this year, as Ryan Grigson has not found a suitable line to protect Andrew Luck, and Chuck Pagano’s coaching decisions often seem suspect. As a result, Howard rushing for over 100 yards for the second straight week does not seem like too much of a stretch.
Part of succeeding in any athletic pursuit - especially in a cutthroat league like he NFL - is being in the right place at the right time. Tevin Coleman cann attest to that - last season, Coleman started out the year at running back for the Falcons, but after an injury, Devonta Freeman took over and never looked back. The opposite seems to be happening with Howard right now though.
If you’re an IU football fan, Sunday may be your only chance ever to catch Jordan Howard in the Circle City. With Howard projected to get plenty of carries under run-centric Bears head coach John Fox, this game will be worth checking out.