Robert Mathis Appears Likely to Play for Indianapolis Colts in Week 1

Robert Mathis is coming back from a torn Achilles, but Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star expects to see him play in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. As holder mentions, the expectations of when he will return to the field have gotten better and better throughout the course of training camp and the preseason. He was originally expected to miss a good chunk of the season, but now Week 1 is a legitimate possibility.

There is no denying the fact that Mathis is the franchise player of the Colts' defense and having him back will help push the defense forward. Having him back on the field putting pressure on the quarterback will make their defense twice as dangerous as it was without him.

Missing all of last season was extremely disappointing for Mathis and the Colts, especially after the superstar season that Mathis had put up the year before in 2013.

During the 2013 season with the Colts, Mathis ended up recording 59 tackles, 19.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles. Mathis is one of the best in the NFL at forcing fumbles, which has been a huge impact for the Colts throughout his career. Having that threat back on the field would help make the Colts even more likely to live up to the hype that has surrounded them as a potential Super Bowl team.

At 34 years old, many were wondering whether or not Mathis would take a step back due to the Achilles injury. He certainly hasn't shown any signs of slowing down and has been aggressively attacking the rehab process that he has been going through.

Indianapolis made a couple nice additions to their defense this offseason around Mathis. They were able to sign former Philadelphia Eagles' pass rushing specialist Trent Cole, who will make an incredibly dangerous duo with Mathis when he comes back to the field. Sio Moore was acquired from the Oakland Raiders last week as well, while the Colts brought in safety Dwight Lowery as well.

It will be very interesting to see what kind of production Mathis is able to bring to the field in Week 1 if he is indeed able to play. The Bills are not going to be easy team to beat by any stretch of the imagination, but having Mathis on the field to put pressure on Tyrod Taylor would be huge for the Colts.

Expect to hear more news about Mathis over the next few days with Sunday's game approaching quickly.

Mathis certainly seems to have a good chance to play and simply seeing these articles should make Colts fans excited. He has always been one of the hardest workers in the NFL and that dedications is showing with his expedited return date after a very rough injury to come back from.