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Week 15 NFL Spreads: Bengals vs. Chargers

Point spread, ATS odds, and moneyline betting and preview article for the 2009 Week 15 Sunday football NFL clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Diego Chargers…

NFL WEEK 15 – BENGALS vs. CHARGERS

Much has been made of the Cincinnati Bengals’ conversion from a team dominated by hoodlums to a group that stays home on Friday and Saturday nights, which greatly enhances the team’s chances of winning on Sunday afternoons. But a more subtle metamorphosis has taken place, and it will be evident Sunday when Cincy travels to San Diego in an important Week 15 game.

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Time: Sunday 4:05 ET
Venue: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
MoneyLine: Bengals +250 (-110) / Chargers -300 (-110)
Spread: Chargers -6.5
Over/Under: 43.5

A Bengals team that was constructed around a vertical passing game now basically pounds the ball on the ground. Part of it is designed to take advantage of Cedric Benson’s startling career rebound, part of it is the fact that for some reason Cincinnati cannot keep the pocket from collapsing around Carson Palmer, and part of it is that because of injury (Chris Henry) and ineffectiveness (Lavernaues Coles) the passing game has sagged.

In a pass-happy league, the Bengals have taken a contrarian tack. Over the last 6 games, including last Sunday’s 20-10 loss to Minnesota, Cincinnati has averaged only 172 passing yards a game. Palmer, believed to be completely healed from myriad injuries which have plagued him over the last few seasons, is pretty much in the middle of pack in just about every quarterback statistic.

Cincinnati (9-4 and holding a comfy 2-game edge over Baltimore in the AFC North) seems to be happy handing the ball to Cedric Benson (4.14 YPC), controlling clock and massaging Chad Ochocinco’s ego with an occasional long ball. Benson, 8th in the league with 1,065 total yards, is a horse, but Larry Johnson (107 yards vs. Cleveland when Benson was out) is a solid insurance policy.Sports Betting at Sportsbook.com

The Chargers, whose last two seasons have ended in playoff losses in New England and Pittsburgh, make no bones about wanting a bye in the first round and then a warm-weather home game in the division round.

San Diego’s 8-game winning streak is legit. Victories over the Cowboys, Broncos, Eagles and Giants are included in the run as the Chargers have basically snatched the AFC West away from Denver in even more stunning fashion than they did last season.

Perhaps what is most impressive about the Chargers is their own ability to move the ball on the ground. Last week against Dallas the Chargers kept the ball on the ground in their game-winning drive, and even LaDainain Tomlinson, who is about 60 percent of what he once was, was able to move the chains.

Both the Bengals and Chargers (10-3) own two-game leads in their divisions, but the winner of this one gets the second AFC playoff first-round bye if the teams finish the same record. Early money is down 2-1 on San Diego, whose winning streak was capped by the high-profile victory at Dallas last week, but if the line jumps to 7 it might provide a good buying opportunity for backers of Cincinnati, which is 4-2 on the road this season.
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Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling and travel expert from Massachusetts.

By Lawrence Paul

Lawrence Paul is back in the saddle as a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. He's got an AMAZING knack for predicting when a team will have a letdown! Stick with our resident gambling experts sports betting tips all season long!