NFL Picks Chicago vs Indianapolis: In the off-season the Bears did nothing to improve their horrible offense.  The Bears went from Super Bowl team to missing the playoffs in one season.  The Heart and Soul of Chicago, the defense is aging which lead to injuries.  Big injuries contributed to the Bears finishing 28th in total defense last season with 354.7 yards per game.  "We haven't played well.  That is all you can say about it," said coach Smith, whose Bears finishes 7-9 and last in the NFC North last season after consecutive division titles. "We have not made all the effort we need to play well.  All the things that go into playing well, we haven't done.  Once we get all our guys going, I feel we will have a very strong defense."  Matt Forte takes over for Cedric Benson as the starting running back and Kyle Orton reclaims his job as the starting QB.  Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Tommie Harris give the Bears a strong defensive presence, but the Colts simply have too many weapons even with new center Jeff Saturday out and Manning rusty.  The Oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com currently have Colts -10 favorites to the Bears heading into this week 1 NFL odds matchup with the total at 43 points.

Peyton Manning missed the entire pre-season for the Colts, will he start off a little rusty?  Last time Manning faced the Bears, he won MVP award while leading his team to the Super Bowl XLI championship.  The Colts were still good last year even though WR Marvin Harrison missed some games.  It's doesn't matter if Manning missed the entire pre-season, he can still drill the ball.  Assuming Peyton Manning is fully recovered, the Colts should be able to celebrate their new stadium in style.  "I keep using the term unchartered territory, and that's what it's been like for me," said Manning, who has reeled off 21 consecutive victories in September and October. "I hope to just get in the flow of things and go."

NFL Picks: The Bears defense isn't that strong anymore with them getting older, their offense stinks, their special teams play is the best in the league.  The Colts open up in a new stadium tonight and they should take care of the Bears.  The question is, the point spread will they cover the big number?  I'm going to have a top play on this game tonight so check out my week 1 NFL Picks page.

View 2008 week 1 NFL Odds at OnlineSportsHandicapping.com before you bet on bet on NFL Football at Sportsbook.com

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