Now, after playing Monday night the Giants have to turn around and be in Chicago to face the Bears for their second game just five days later.

That means they practiced on Wednesday, will practice Thursday, and have a quick walk-thru Friday morning. Seems a little rushed even if it is just preseason.

For the Bears they will be looking to get their first win after franchise QB Jay Cutler did not live up to the hype in his debut, as the Bears lost 27-20 at Buffalo.

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Chicago will finally get to strut Jay Cutler out on the field for the first time in a Bears uniform.

The Bills will be in their second preseason game so some of their starters might play a bit longer, but that might not mean much considering they were blown out by the Tennessee Titans in the Hall of Fame Game. The Bills’ offense could have similar problems against the Bears’ front lines.

It won't help that Terrell Owens did not participate in Wednesday’s practice. Word is that it is just a sprain and that Owens is day-to-day.

The Bears will be without starting cornerback Charles Tillman.

With Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, Garrett Wolfe, and Kevin Jones in the backfield, the Bears have plenty of depth and will run the ball well all game.

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Players will report to Olivet Nazarene University in far south suburban Bourbonnais today, with the first practice set for tomorrow at 3 p.m. The Bears return to Chicago briefly for a noon practice on Saturday, Aug. 8 and break camp following a 3 p.m. practice on Thursday, Aug. 20.

Let the scrutiny begin.

Jay Cutler will be on display at the first practice Friday, and finally the Bears will be able to get to the business on the field after a blockbuster offseason that some called the best in the league.

Acquiring Cutler was the boldest move, but the Bears made a series of moves that made it clear they're in it for the now. The Bears are pegged at +1800 to win the Super Bowl this season.

Cutler has the chance to be the hero of a city or the target of all their pain.

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The Bears, 9-7 last year, have been looking for a franchise quarterback for decades – sorry, Jim McMahon wasn’t one – and finally appear to have landed him in Cutler. It cost plenty, including two first-round picks and Kyle Orton, but now the Windy City has a Pro Bowler whose arm is strong enough to deal with the windy/wintry conditions at Soldier Field.

Cutler’s arrival doesn’t solve every problem, but it sure seems to cover them up. Chicago’s offensive line still could be a question unless Orlando Pace can stay healthy, and that might be asking a lot. And the receiving corps is a question mark behind Devin Hester. However, you can look for tight end Greg Olsen to be the main beneficiary of Cutler’s throws; I’d be willing to bet Olson is a Pro Bowler this year, and he might help make up for the lack of good receivers. Also expect second-year running back Matt Forte to see plenty of throws, too.

Chicago’s defense still has enough talent to be a major factor, and this team has some of the best special teams in the league, even with Hester only returning punts.

Basically, everything seems in place for a potential Super Bowl run, especially the schedule – it all depends on the former Denver Bronco signal-caller.

Here is the Bears’ 2009 schedule, and we’ll break it down after:

Sept. 13 at Green Bay Packers, 8:20 p.m.

Sept. 20 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 4:15 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m.

Oct. 4 vs. Detroit Lions, 1 p.m.

Week 5: Bye

Oct. 18 at Atlanta Falcons, 8:20 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m.

Nov. 1 vs. Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m.

Nov. 8 vs. Arizona Cardinals, 1 p.m.

Nov. 12 at San Francisco 49ers, 8:20 p.m.

Nov. 22 vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m.

Nov. 29 at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m.

Dec. 6 vs. St. Louis Rams, 1 p.m.

Dec. 13 vs. Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m.

Dec. 20 at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m.

Dec. 28 vs. Minnesota Vikings, 8:20 p.m.

Jan. 3 at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m.

Strength of schedule: 32^nd (opponents combined to go 105-149-2, .414, in 2008)

Projected record: 11-5

Bodog over/under total: 8 1/2

Bodog odds to win Super Bowl XLIV: 18/1

Wow, Bodog doesn’t seem to think the Bears will be anywhere near as good  as I do, but I certainly recommend the over 8 ½ even if I’m being a little overly optimistic.

I believe Chicago will go 2-1 in September. The Bears open on the road for the fifth year in a row and 31^st time overall against Green Bay. Chicago has an NFL-high 50 opening-day victories and its .590 winning percentage is fourth-best in the NFL all time. So I think the Bears pull the mini-upset in Green Bay. Not sure Cutler and Co. will be quite in sync enough to handle the Super Bowl champs in Week 2, but the Seahawks shouldn’t pose many problems in Week 3. By the way, that Pittsburgh visit is the Steelers’ first since Nov. 5, 1995, ending the longest regular-season drought away from the Windy City for any NFL team.

A 2-1 month in October also appears likely, with games against sad-sacks Detroit and Cincinnati. Chicago could definitely win in Atlanta, as the Bears will be coming off a bye and should have won there last year before a mental breakdown in the final seconds. But let’s say the Falcons take care of business at home.

Cleveland and Arizona won’t be favored in Chicago to start November, and the Bears win both of those. I can see the 49ers pulling the upset after that – it’s a long trip west for the Bears, and San Francisco coach Mike Singletary will have his club pumped against Singletary’s former team. Then Chicago faces 2008 playoff teams back-to-back for one of only two times all season in Philly and Minnesota. Call it a home-road split, so Chicago is 7-4.

Other than that game at Baltimore, Chicago should be favored in every December game (barring injuries, as always). And I see the Bears winning every game but that Ravens matchup to finish at 11-5 and edge the Vikings for the NFC North, possibly by tiebreaker.

If the postseason bracket falls right — if the Bears get at least a No. 2 seed – Chicago looks to me very much like it can reach the NFC Championship Game but probably fall a game short of the Super Bowl.

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The Texans had their four-game winning streak snapped last week with an 27-16 upset loss to Oakland. Houston star receiver Andre Johnson totally disappeared in last week’s loss after an explosive performance versus Tennessee a week earlier. Against the Titans Johnson racked up 11 receptions for 207 yards and a touchdown, but against Oakland he only had two catches for 19 yards. Bodog has all your NFL football betting.

Since beating up on the Bears the Packers have gone 0-4, including last week’s 20-16 loss to Jacksonville. The Green Bay defense, which had been solid to start the season, has fallen off dramatically during their bad run. Green Bay’s defense showed their inadequacy last week after giving up two fourth-quarter touchdowns to the Jaguars to blow another lead.

The Bears have gone 3-1 since losing to Green Bay and kept their playoff hopes alive last week with a 27-24 win over New Orleans. Chicago has won their last two games despite lackluster performances from quarterback Kyle Orton. In those two wins Orton threw three interceptions and only two touchdowns.

When Green Bay visited Chicago last season the Bears killed them 35-7 as a 7.5-point underdog, and on Monday night the Bears are a 4-point favorite. Be sure to get your NFL football odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

It figures to be a close contest. The Bears, however, are 3-point favorites for Thursday (even money). Chicago gets the chalk because of Soldier Field; temperatures for this primetime affair are expected to dip below 30 degrees, which should be enough of a challenge for the dome-based Saints even under mostly clear skies. The Saints are 1-5 SU and 3-2 ATS on the road this season.

As usual, we’ll have live betting available for this NFL Network broadcast, starting at 8:15 p.m. Eastern.

With four games left against teams still alive in the playoff race the Jaguars might have trouble winning another game.

This week that all begins with a trip to Chicago to take on the Bears. Kyle Orton had by far his worst game of the season Sunday night in the 34-14 loss to the Vikings, throwing three interceptions.

The Bears are certain to be left out of the postseason if their 21st-ranked passing game doesn’t get better in a hurry. The home team is 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings. Get your NFL odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Chicago will be looking to sweep the season series with Minnesota for the second time in three years after losing both meetings in 2007. Chicago has dropped five of six at the Metrodome, including a 20-13 loss last season.

The Bears will try to bounce back against an injury-plagued St. Louis offense that will be missing Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace and top rusher Steven Jackson.

Losers of four straight, the Rams have been blown out in their last three games by a combined 116-32 score while committing 11 turnovers. The Bodog Sportsbook has all your NFL picks. Get 'em today.