Pro Football Talk reports Mathis tore his Achilles’ tendon while working out in Atlanta on his own. Mathis would have been eligible to return for the Oct. 5 home game against the Ravens. Instead, the Colts won’t have their defensive leader and elite pass rusher for the entire season.
Mathis is coming off a monster 2013 in which he recorded 19 1/2 sacks. The 33-year-old was the standout defensive end opposite Dwight Freeney in the Colts’ former 4-3 scheme, but switching to outside linebacker in coach Chuck Pagano’s 3-4 pushed him to his best season late in his career.
The Colts had trouble pressuring Peyton Manning and the Broncos without Mathis in Sunday’s 34-27 loss at Denver. They were counting on edge rusher Bjoern Werner and more blitzes to get to the quarterback.
Mathis helped Indianapolis win a Super Bowl with Manning. The aging player was critical to helping the Colts get there again with Andrew Luck this season. Given the closeness of the Week 1 game of the AFC favorites, the Colts were obviously a true conference title contender.
Those chances just took a huge, unexpected hit. There’s already evidence that Mathis is impossible to replace.
