NFL Week 16 Monday Night Football Preview

Here it is! Monday Night Football with the season on the line. The Chicago Bear face the Packers at Soldier Field and the game has playoff implications. If the Bears win they stay in contention for the NFC Wildcard, if they lose - they are done. Here's the scoop on the game tonight:

Green Bay Packers (5-9) vs Chicago Bears (8-6)

Monday, Dec 22, 2008 @ 8:30 PM EST

Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Weather Forecast: Clear 12-13 degrees

THE LINE (subject to change)

Bears are favorite (-4) and the Under/Over is 40

THE RECORD

The Green Bay Packers are 5-9 this season. They are 2-5 on the road.The Packers record against the spread (ATS) is 6-7 overall. They are 3-3 ATS away and 1-3 ATS as the underdog.
The Chicago Bears are 8-6 overall and 5-2 at home. The Bears are .500 ATS overall (6-6) and ATS at home (3-3)

GAME PREVIEW

The Bears are playing for their post season lives and going up against a division rival. The Packer are playing for pride and this rivalry is always intense - regardless of game implications. Both teams have lackluster offensives and have misses pieces on defense.
Playing in Chicago, on Monday night, during Christmas week - should make for a great game. that do not like each other, but Green Bay is playing simply for pride while Chicago still has a chance to make the postseason.

GAME PREDICTION (ATS)

Chicago Bears 24 Gren Bay Packers 17Simply put - the Bears have a reason to play - to stay in the wildcard race

WHOOP! Chris Berman Talks To McCain and Obama on MNF

ESPN's very own, Chris Berman, will be interviewing both presidential candidates at halftime of Monday Night Football. The taped, one-on-one segments, will be aired at halftime on
this week's NFL (National Football League), Monday Night Football game, on the eve the 2008 presidential election.

The MNF game will feature the Pittsburg Steelers against the Washington Redskins. The game will be played in Washington, D.C. Kickoff time is 8:30 pm EST.

Chris Berman has made his legacy as the voice-over of ESPN's popular sports highlight replays. His entertaining phrases of, "he could go all the way" and "WHOOP" are classics. His zany and clever one liners have made him one of the most loved sportscasters in the business.

This unique opportunity for Chris to interview the candidates was a partnership between ESPN and the National Football League. John McCain and Barack Obama will each do one-on-one segments, via satellite, earlier in the day on Monday with Chris.

This interview will provide both candidates, Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama, the last opportunity to "sell" their plans and strategies as president of the United States, on prime-time television. ESPN is averaging a little over 12 million viewers this season.

It is said that the Washington Redskins are a barometer for predicting the outcome of presidential elections. If history repeats itself, a Washington Redskin victory would mean a win for John McCain. A win by the Pittsburgh Steelers would mean Barack Obama will be president.

The game will be exciting, and should have a playoff feel. Expect ESPN ratings to shoot through the roof. WHOOP! He could go all the way!

MNF Week 8 Colts @ Titans

Week 8 of Monday Night Football will take place October 27, 2008 @ 8:30 PM EST with the Indianapolis Colts (3-3) visiting the Tennessee Titans (6-0). The game will be televised on ESPN.

SPREAD
Indianapolis Colts are Underdogs (+3 1/2). The Under/Over is 40 points (subject to change up till gametime)

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THE MNF PICK
Take Peyton Manning and the Colts getting 3 1/2 points. And the Over!
Predicted Final: Indianapolis Colts 24, Tennessee Titans 21


TEAM STANDINGS
The Tennessee Titans are (6-0) in 2008 but their winning streak of 9 games goes all the way back to last season. They lead the Colts in the AFC South by 3 games. The Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) and Houston Texans (3-4) round up the division.


MOMENTUM
TITANS
The Titans are off to their best start in team history, but their 2008 schedule has been light, with 3 of the 6 wins against teams with losing records.

They are averaging almost 25 points a game and giving up, on average, only 11 points. This is by far the best Points For(PF)/Points Against(PA) ration in the NFL, averaging almost two touchdowns than their competitors.
Defensively the Titans are giving up over 340 yards a game, and if Peyton has a good day, expect that number to grow over to over 400.

In last week's 34-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Titans gobbled up 455 total yards, with 332 on the ground.

COLTS
The Colts haven't lived up to their potential this year. They are averaging just 21 points a game and giving up the same. Partly due to a Peyton Manning knee injury - but that is no excuse. They are off to their worst record (3-3) since 2001.

The Colts defense is giving up 153 yards per game and the Titans are ranked fourth in the NFL in running with 154 yards per game.

The Colts lost at Green Bay last week (34-14) where Peyton Manning had an atrocious 46.6 passer rating. One promising aspect of that game was that Dominic Rhodes rushed 20 times for 73 yards and 2 touchdowns. But they committed 12 penalties for a whopping season total of 46 penalties. Last year they were the least penalized team in the previous 6 years.


INJURY REPORT
COLTS
Player Pos Injury Status
Joe Addai RB Hamstring Out
Roy Hall WR Knee Out
Kelvin Hayden CB Knee Out
Bob Sanders S Ankle Out
Marlin Jackson CB Shoulder Questionable
Jacob Tamme TE Ankle Questionable

TITANS
Player Pos Injury Status
Tony Brown DT Ankle Questionable
Justin Gage WR Knee Questionable
Justin McCareins WR Hamstring Questionable
Kyle Vanden Bosch DE Groin Questionable



THE BOTTOM LINE
The Colts are 2-3 Against the Spread (ATS), 1-1 ATS away, 0-1 as the underdog, 0-1 - ATS as an away underdog

The Titans are 6-0 Against the Spread (ATS), 3-0 ATS at home, 3-0 ATS as the favorite and 2-0 ATS home favorite

In head to head competition

Colts Titans
Straight Up 8-4-0 4-8-0
ATS 2-4-0 4-2-0
ATS@Ten 1-2-0 2-1-0
ATS:Favorite 2-3-0 1-0-0
ATS:Underdog 0-1-0 3-2-0

Even though the Titans are 6-0, their schedule has been light and Kerry Collins is a mediocre quarterback. Combine that with the fact that the Titans and Peyton Manning are due for a breakout game. Combine that with the fact the Colts unbeaten record against the spread may be subject to the law of averages.

Two concerns are the Colts playing away and the injuries to the Colts Wide Receivers.


MNF WEEK 8 PICK OF THE WEEK - INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Take Peyton Manning and the Colts getting 3 1/2 points. And the Over (40 points)

Predicted Final Score: Indianapolis Colts 24, Tennessee Titans 21