Monday Night Football

It’s obvious by now that the Indianapolis Colts' preseason reputation precedes itself. How else could you explain a six-point line move for tonight’s edition of Monday Night Football? Of course, the Colts will be dealing with a motivated foe in the Chicago Bears, who will be looking to avenge last February’s, 29-17, Super Bowl 41 loss.





Indianapolis comes into tonight having lost nine of ten preseason games straight up. They are 2-8 ATS over that same time frame, including a non-cover in a 23-10 loss to Dallas in the opener – eleven days ago.

Like the game against the Cowboys, we’ve seen a sizable line move here. However, in this case, the Colts opened up as the favorite. However, all of the money has since come in on the Bears, who are now favored by three after opening up as three-point ‘dogs.

After throwing just five passes vs. Dallas, Peyton Manning and the first-team offense should see more action this evening. According to Coach Tony Dungy, they’re likely to see “20-25 plays” and be on the field into the 2nd quarter. Manning did lead his team down the field for a field goal in his lone drive of the game.



Backup Jim Sorgi (as always) did nothing, generating no points. Third-stringer Josh Betts was able to throw a very late TD pass.

This is a banged up Indy team. Nine players, including All-Pro Safety Bob Saunders, have been ruled out of tonight’s game vs. Chicago.

RB Joseph Addai will continue to receive a light workload.

You should expect the Bears starters to likewise play into the second quarter. Brian Urlacher, Tommie Harris, and John Tait will all be making their preseason debuts.

Unlike the Colts, the Bears won their preseason opener, although it sure seemed like they weren’t trying to. However, when you’re playing the Houston Texans, you’ll get your fair share of opportunities. Rallying from a 19-7 fourth-quarter deficit, Chicago eventually pulled out a 20-19 win, as three-point dogs.

Reportedly, backup QB Brian Griese has looked awful in practice. He sure didn’t show much last weekend, as his first pass vs. the Texas was intercepted. He did, however, lead the Bears to a touchdown later on.

The Bears have covered five of their last six vs. AFC foes in the preseason.

Tonight’s total has not moved off the opening number of 35.5.