I am trying to fathom a reasonable, compelling, non-partisan rationale to support picking the Bears to upset the Colts on Sunday night.
A rusty, reeling, rehabbing Peyton Manning? Please! It was his knee, not his passing arm or his vocal chords or his eyes that underwent off-season surgery. He may defer more to his other offensive weapons as he checks off plays at the line of scrimmage, but I still expect Manning to be large and in charge when it counts most.
Sure, the Colts will be without veteran center Jeff Saturday, but Sunday night’s game will be about other Colts linemen stepping up. If the Bears attempt to apply too much blitzing heat, look for Manning to exploit the Bears’ man-toman coverage with quick tosses.
The Bears will have to work the clock with a productive running game to have a chance to win in the Colts’ noisy new stadium. I am forecasting a 70 percent chance of seeing the Colts reign.
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THE DECISION: COLTS WILL WIN
Fred Mitchell
23-13
David Haugh
31-23
Terry Bannon
34-16
Mike Downey
17-0
Melissa Isaacson
28-14
Vaughn McClure
35-20
Rick Morrissey
21-6
Dan Pompei
33-13
DISSENT
John Mullin
16-14
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See related story “Best bet: Run wild”
