2 Brothers will be squaring off as Peyton Manning will be going head-to-head with his younger brother Eli on Sunday night as the Colts take on the Giants in Week one NFL football action. This ESPN TV game will be the first time in pro football league history that sibling quarterbacks have lined up opposite each other.
And even though the game is being played on Eli’s turf at Giants Stadium, Peyton and the Colts are currently pegged as 3.5-point favorites (with a total sitting at 48 points) for the contest. Both Indianapolis and New York were playoff teams last year, but it was the Colts that won 13 straight games and had the league’s top mark before falling on their face losing to the eventual defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round.
The Giants didn’t fare much better in the post season and they were blasted 23-0 by the Carolina Panthers in the division round. A game where Eli’s inexperience showed as he tossed 3 picks.
Both clubs will be looking to start the season off with a win and while the Manning brothers have been trying to play down the importance of their individual match-up, the loser quarterback won’t get a chance for revenge until the 2010 season. (The next time these 2 teams are scheduled to play)
A familiar face will not be in uniform for the Colts for their season opener on Sunday night, Edgerrin James left in the off season and joined up with Arizona Cardinals. Indianapolis will call on the tandem of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai to replace James offensive production. Neither Rhodes nor Addai performed well in the preseason so expect a lot of passing from Peyton Manning and the Colts offense.
There are some important injuries in this game for both clubs. For the Colts wide receiver Brandon Stokley, tight end Dallas Clark and kicker Adam Vinatieri are all listed as questionable. For the Giants Linebacker LaVar Arrington has missed a few practices, but has assured the media that his knee injury won’t keep him off the filed Sunday night.
It should be an exciting game and Maddux has a premium pick on this game. Check out the NFL picks page to get signed up for this easy winner.
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