:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/33136757/188025007.0.jpg)
According to a report from ESPN Insider Adam Schefter, Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Robert Mathis has been suspended for the first four games of the 2014 NFL season. Mathis was reportedly suspended for a PED violation.
NFL suspended Colts' pass rusher Robert Mathis four games for violating policy on performance enhancing substances.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 16, 2014
This news is relevant to the Philadelphia Eagles because these two teams will meet in Indianapolis for a Monday Night Football game during Week 2. Mathis is one of the league's best 3-4 outside linebackers, if not the very best one. The Colts' edge rusher is coming off a season where he finished with a total of 19 sacks.
There's some oddity to be found in this news. The Eagles' 2013 season was filled with their opponents missing some of their best players due to injury: Packers (Aaron Rodgers), Lions (Reggie Bush), and so on. If Mathis' suspension holds up, it looks like the Eagles will continue that trend into the early part of the 2014 season.