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NFL Picks: Indianapolis Colts vs Chicago Bears |
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Written by Scott Burgess
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Friday, 05 September 2008
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 The Indianapolis Colts start their season at the new Lucas Oil Stadium, Sunday September 7, against the Chicago Bears. Colts QB Peyton Manning underwent knee surgery in the offseason and didn’t play any preseason games. Despite all that, NFL Oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com still have the Indianapolis Colts as -9 ½ point favorites over the Chicago Bears with the over/under set at 44 points. Get your NFL Picks: Indianapolis Colts vs Chicago Bears in now at Sportsbook.com
The Indianapolis Colts will field QB Peyton Manning for his 161st straight start, second to Bret Favre 253. They’ll be hoping to win their sixth straight home opener. Manning ranked seventh in the NFL with 4,040 passing yards last season, throwing for 31 touchdowns despite 14 interceptions, his most in five seasons. Indianapolis finished 12-4 to win the AFC South. Manning will also have his usual weapons back, RB Joseph Addai rushed for 1,072 yards and 12 TDs last year, he’ll have his talented receiving corps with Reggie Wayne 104 receptions, 1,510 yards, 10 TDs and a healthy Marvin Harrison back. They do have some issues on the O-line though, three-time Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday is out with a right knee injury, starting guard Ryan Lilja hasn't fully recovered from offseason knee surgery and will miss the first six weeks while rookie Jamey Richard is expected to replace him.
The Chicago Bears are in a bit of a shambles this year. QB Kyle Orton beat out former Super Bowl quarterback Rex Grossman for the starting job. He will lead an offense that ranked 27th in the NFL averaging 293 yards per game. Orton is 12-6 as a starter in three seasons with the Bears. He completed 43 of 80 passes for 478 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in three games last year. They lost their top WR Bernard Berrian to free agency and RB Cedric Benson was released following two offseason alcohol-related arrests. RB Matt Forte will open the season as Chicago's starting running back, becoming the first Bears rookie to do so since the great Walter Payton. Chicago is 4-1 in the regular season versus the Colts
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Bears are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games in Week 1.
- Bears are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games in September.
- Colts are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 1.
- Colts are 20-8-1 ATS in their last 29 games in September.
- Under is 4-0 in Bears last 4 games in Week 1.
- Under is 4-1 in Colts last 5 games in Week 1.
NFL Picks: Indianapolis Colts vs Chicago Bears
When: Sun, Sept, 7, 2008 8:15 PM ET
Line: Sportsbook.com
Point-Spreads.com NFL Picks: Indianapolis Colts vs Chicago Bears Prediction – Chicago Bears +9 ½
The Bottom Line: Peyton hasn’t played in months or even thrown a ball. The Bears might not have a super talented offense, but they do have Adrian Peterson and kick returner Devin Hester. Remember the first kick return when they met at Super Bowl two years ago? Get your NFL Picks: Indianapolis Colts vs Chicago Bears in now at Sportsbook.com and receive a 10% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit! Get on board for an entire season of our NFL Football Picks; we are prepped and ready roll through the full slate of 2008 NFL Football action. Also, make sure you check out our live NFL Betting Odds feed which provides real time point spreads from the top internet sports books in the world, all in one easy to use location. Get line moves in real time and find out which NFL teams have the Best NFL Odds.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 11 September 2008 )
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