Colts vs Bengals
Colts vs Bengals As the NFL preseason schedule comes to a close, the Indianapolis Colt and the Cincinnati Bengals will face off on Thursday night in Indy. Odds makers are calling the Colts a 3 1/2 point favorite and putting the under/over at 35 total points.

The big story Tuesday in Indianapolis is the return of their two-time league MVP, Peyton Manning to the practice field. Manning underwent knee surgery more then a month ago and is right on schedule for his return. Peyton expects to be ready to go for the Colts season opener against the Bears. Long time back-up Jim Sorgi is expected to play into the third quarter against the Bengals.

Tuesday however, did not yield all smiles as the team is still learning the extent of center Jeff Saturday's injured knee. The three-time Pro Bowler suffered an unknown knee injury in the Colts last game against the Bills. Saturday will definitely be
out for the Thursday's game against the Bengals. Coach Tony Dungy said Saturday could be lost for the season, but the full extent is not know as team doctors are still assessing the injury.

Cincinnati comes in at 1-2 in the preseason. The Bengals have all sorts of problems on defense. In 2007 they finish near the bottom of the league in nearly all major defensive categories. Their offense will need to put up serious numbers in 2008 if they plan on having any success.

This could be a problem however, as they have been riddled by injuries thus far. Quarterback Carson Palmer suffered a broken noise a week ago and his receiving core is currently a huge question mark. Chad Johnson needs surgery on his injured shoulder, eventually, but he intends to play through the pain. T.J. Houshmandzadeh has just returned from a hamstring injury that kept him out through all of training camp. They have begun to shop RB Rudy Johnson to try and pick up receiver help.