The next slate of games in Week 3 of the NFL season has plenty of great matchups and reunions, including Andy Reid heading back to Philadelphia Thursday night, but there is also another one in the Bay area, as Andrew Luck and the Cols will visit his old Stanford head coach in Jim Harbaugh when they take on the 49ers.
Now that the Colts have acquired running back Trent Richardson from the Cleveland Browns, the team looks much stronger than it did a week ago and the 49ers will have to account for their new offensive weapon. This will be the first time the two have faced off in the NFL after Harbaugh coached Luck at Stanford and he will get the chance to stick it to his old coach as each team is 1-1 and are looking to avoid dipping under .500 this season.
Both Harbaugh and Luck said they are focused on the game and not the personal matchup, but after all they accomplished together, it's hard not to mention the connection between the two. Harbaugh helped turn around a Stanford program that is now a national powerhouse and Luck played some of the best football of his career under Harbaugh and was eventually the number one overall pick for the Colts.
The Colts now are coming into the San Francisco game with a big boost behind them, as Trent Richardson gives the team a legitimate starting running back to take over for Vick Ballard, who is now out for the season after suffering an injury. Luck put up some great numbers as a rookie last season, but he was often the only offensive star on the field and had to do plenty himself, but now the team can work with Richardson to take some pressure off Luck. Having a consistent running game will only help open things up for TY Hilton and Luck in the passing game and they will need all the help they can get after also losing Dwayne Allen on offense for the season.
Luck has had a nice start to the season with 499 yards and three touchdowns and now Richardson can come in and help ease the pressure on Ahmad Bradshaw, who is leading the team with 90 rushing yards and a touchdown through two games. TY Hilton has been solid so far as well and the team has a tough team to face in the 49ers, as they will be looking to rebound after an awful loss against the Seattle Seahawks.
The 49ers likely will win this game, but adding Richardson makes the Colts a playoff team.
