The Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers kick off the 2019 regular season with an afternoon matchup on Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park.
While there are many reasons to be optimistic the Colts can come out with a Week 1 win on the road, there are also a few reasons that are cause for concern to begin the 2019 season.
Here are three causes for concern for the Week 1 matchup against the Chargers:
Jacoby Brissett’s first start since Luck’s retirement
While we project Brissett to be a fine and competent quarterback in Frank Reich’s system, there is the unknown aspect that raises some concern. He’s in a much better situation now than he was in 2017 when he was the starter for Chuck Pagano while Luck worked his way back from shoulder surgery.
But a better situation doesn’t always translate to immediate success. It could take some time for Brissett to get truly comfortable as a starter. He hasn’t started a regular-season game since 2017. He could come out and be the competent quarterback the Colts believe him to be.
But the unknown of the whole situation is enough to cause a bit of concern for Week 1.
Chargers secondary is solid
Even without the benefit of safety Derwin James, who underwent foot surgery and is expected to be out for at least the first half of the season, the Chargers still have a solid group of defensive backs.
Cornerbacks Casey Hayward Jr., Desmond King II and Michael Davis proved to be a strong trio manning the boundary and the slot. At safety, the Chargers will likely use a rotation of Adrian Phillips, Rayshawn Jenkins and second-round pick Nasir Adderley—who was among the top safety prospects in the draft.
They will be missing a big piece in James, but they have some solid depth in the secondary to compete with the Colts offense.
That Philip Rivers guy
While the Colts offense will be tasked with scoring against the Chargers defense, they will also have to keep up with the Chargers offense—led by the veteran Rivers, who is still one of the better passers in the NFL.
Even without running back Melvin Gordon and left tackle Russell Okung, Rivers will find ways to keep the chains moving while getting into the end zone using the various weapons around him. Those include wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, tight end Hunter Henry and running backs Justin Jackson and Austin Ekeler.
Rivers may be getting up there, and his best days may be behind him, but he’s still the player the defense will have to gameplan around.
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