NFL GAME ODDS

Indy Colts vs. Chicago Bears

On Sunday February 4th possibly the grandest event in professional sports will take center stage in at Dolphins Stadium in Miami Florida. Super Bowl XLI will feature two unlikely combatants in the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears. The Bears, a surprise force in the NFC this season, won their first seven games with a ferocious defense that harkens back to the last Bears Super Bowl team of 1986. The Colts have been absent longer from the NFL Championship and are returning for the first time since SB V when the team still resided in Baltimore. The past half decade has been a collection of near misses for Peyton Manning and the Colts but this year the monkey (New England Patriots) was removed and a classic match for Super Bowl XLI.

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The Indianapolis Colts enter Super Bowl XLI as the team of destiny. Since 2003, the "window" has been closing on Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and the rest. The path this year was not of prim roses though. The Colts suffered through a league worst rushing defense giving up a scary 173 yards per game. Other challenges included a rookie running back in Joseph Addai that took over the reigns of balancing the high powered Colt's offense. The rookie had a 1000 yard season out of the gate with 7 TDs while averaging nearly 5 yards per carry. He will certainly face the greatest challenge of his young career while facing a Bear's defense that gave up the second least number of rushing scores in the NFL this season. All of these factors aside however, the Colts go as Peyton Manning goes. His ability to read this complex Bear's defense and avoid turnovers will be the difference in the game. Manning has not been without mistakes in the 2007 playoffs. He has more interceptions than touchdowns and thumb injury on his throwing hand that the team has yet to discuss. Destiny or no, the Colts won't waltz through Super Bowl XLI.

Seattle has a better offense than their 19th ranking indicates. For much of the year they were without Alexander, 896 yds 7 TD's, and Hasselbeck, 2442 yds 18 TD's, but now both are back healthy and playing well again. Seattle will have a good shot at winning if Alexander can get through the tough front four of the Bears. If he can't Hasselbeck will have to rely on his receivers for big yards. The good news is they will be getting Darell Jackson, 63 rec 956 yds 10 TD's back as they will need him if Alexander struggles. Seattle's offensive line has to make holes for Alexander and protect Hasselbeck to give him time to throw. If they can keep the front four off those two Seattle has a good chance. Seattle's 19th ranked defense has also been playing better of late and had a decent game against the Cowboys. They will stack up against the run and make Grossman beat them through the air. If Seatt

The Chicago Bears were on a precious few experts' lists of teams to contend for the Championship when the season started. Quarterback controversies in the pre-season mushroomed into frequent calls for Rex Grossman's job (and sometimes head) as he walked through the growing pains of a season with a 73.2 passer rating. But in the fashion of Big Ben, Rex did enough not to loose most games for his team and let the Bears 5th ranked defense do what they did better than any other team in the NFL last season, take the ball away. The Chicago Defense led the league in forced fumble and was second only to Baltimore in interceptions. Tenacious and opportunistic, the new monsters of the midway will be the catalyst in Chicago's chances to bring another title back to the Windy City.

Game Pick: Chicago Bears +7