:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47041568/GettyImages-452521889.0.jpg)
Indianapolis Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis missed the entirety of the 2014 season with an Achilles injury, and he was only removed from the team's Physically Unable to Perform list this week. If he has it his way, however, he'll make good on an offseason-long proclamation that he'll be playing in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills.
The prevailing question: when will the Indianapolis Colts’ career sack leader return to the playing field?
Might that be for the Sept. 13 regular-season opener at Buffalo?
"Yes," Mathis said.
Seriously?
"Yes," he reiterated.
We’ll see.
We'll see, indeed - because it still does not seem especially likely that Mathis will suit up against the Bills in a little over two weeks. For one, the Colts have been planning on being without Mathis all offseason, signing veteran pass rusher Trent Cole in free agency in March to bridge the gap until Mathis returns. More importantly, the Colts' owner, Jim Irsay, is already on record saying that Mathis probably won't be back until several weeks into the season.
Colts owner Jim Irsay just said he expects an late September or early October return for Robert Mathis.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 6, 2015
Still, the possibility now exists that the Colts' best pass rusher will be lining up against Buffalo's top offense for the season opener. Indy is in pretty good shape starting Cole and Erik Walden in the likely event that Mathis isn't ready, but if he is, it could be a game-changing scenario for the visitors.