Cajun-Sports NFL Executive Report
Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts
Prediction: 3* Indianapolis Colts -9.5
The first Sunday Night NFL Game of the Week on NBC is a rematch of Super Bowl 41 where the first Manning got his ring. One difference in this contest will be the absence of former starter Rex Grossman at QB for the Bears; he has lost his job to Kyle Orton.
The Bears did nothing to fix their terrible offense, so they are likely to waste good efforts by their defense and special teams on the way to a mediocre season. Chicago averaged only 4.6 yards per play in 2007 and they released their most effective quarterback, Brian Griese. Griese averaged a solid 6.2 yards per pass on 273 pass plays while Rex Grossman averaged a horrible 4.9 yards per pass play and Kyle Orton averaged 5.7 yards per pass play in the final 3 games of the season.
Taking a closer look at Orton’s numbers we see that his average of 5.7 yards per pass play was really worse than first thought. Those numbers came against teams that average allowing over 6.5 yards per pass play on the season. His numbers were well below the league average.
The Bears offensive line is one of the worst in the league and they only averaged 3.2 yards per rush last season and we doubt there is much improvement this year even with Adrian Peterson taking over as their feature back.
The Indianapolis Colts could very well be the best team in the league this season, bypassing the crowd favorite New England Patriots. The Colts out-gained their opponents 5.9 yards per play to 4.8 yards per play despite leading the NFL in starter games lost due to injuries.
Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison make up one of the most imposing wide receiver corps in football, while second-year receiver Anthony Gonzalez appears primed for a breakout season.
Harrison 's days as an elite wide-out may be numbered and his durability is in question since the 36-year-old played just five games due to a sprained left knee in 2007. While he was out, Wayne became Manning's most potent target. Wayne already had been very productive the last few years, but Harrison 's absence was a contributing factor in his NFL-best 1,510 yards last season.
Tight end Dallas Clark is also always dangerous in the slot and third-year running back Joseph Addai complements the offensive attack. In fact, Addai can become the first running back in Colts history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons in the league.
Indy will field a very strong defensive squad this season led by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders. The Colts defense lost run-stuffer DT McFarland before the season even started last year and pass rushing specialist DE Dwight Freeney missed the last eight games. Although through week ten of the season which was the last game Freeney played, the Colts defense only allowed their opponents 4.6 yards per play when the average team would have gained 5.5 yards per play. They are certainly a solid defensive unit when both of these players are on the field.
The Colts have too much firepower on offense even with Manning a bit rusty and a very strong defensive team will harass Orton and the Bears all evening. The combination of these factors can lead to only one conclusion and that’s a Colts win and cover.
Power Angle: INDIANAPOLIS is 8-1 ATS in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
Power System: In Game 1, play ON an AFC favorite of more than 5 points with a
TOTAL of 35+ points vs. a non-divisional opponent. 10-0 ATS since 2001
GRADED PREDICTION: 3* INDIANAPOLIS COLTS -9.5