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Week 3 Bengals vs. Giants NFL Predictions

The Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Giants will both be trying to pick up a win on Sunday when they battle at Giants Stadium. Oddsmakers currently have the Giants listed as 13½-point favorites

Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants Odds

BetUS NFL betting odds: N.Y. GIANTS -13, Total 42
NOTABLE STAT: Bengals have gained 369 yards in two games
KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: Giants have covered eight straight games

The Cincinnati Bengals (0-2 SU & ATS) have had a devil of a time getting things untracked this season. Now they must try to find the winning formula against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants (2-0 SU & ATS) in an NFL Sunday matchup that is set to kick off at 1 PM ET at Giants Stadium (artificial turf) in East Rutherford, N.J.

In the BetUS NFL betting odds, the Giants are listed as a 13-point favorite, with a posted total of 42 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* CIN has covered two of its last seven games
* CIN has lost 14 of its last 21 games SU
* CIN has played seven of its last eight games UNDER the total
* CIN has covered two of its last nine road games
* CIN has lost nine of its last 11 road games SU
* CIN has played four of its last nine road games UNDER the total
* NY has covered its last eight games
* NY has won its last six games SU
* NY has lost four of its last five home games SU
* NY has played four of its last six games UNDER the total
* NY has played five of its last seven home games OVER the total

Cincinnati has looked like it is still trying to find its way offensively, to say the least. In two weeks they have scored 17 points, and their total offense has accounted for just 369 yards thus far. Last week against the Titans, the Bengals got just 11 first downs, converting on just three of 13 third-down situations, and managed only a second quarter touchdown.

Carson Palmer’s 27 passes produced just 134 yards, and he is not connecting with the star duo of Chad Johnson (oops, Ocho Cinco) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh the way he is used to. Meanwhile, things couldn’t have been easier for the Giants in St. Louis, where they sacked Marc Bulger six times and held the Rams to 201 total yards in a 41-13 win. Eli Manning comes off one of his better performances, going 20 for 29 with three TD’s and no miscues. The Giants have now covered eight consecutive games, going back to last year.

 Now let’s consider a few things, not the least of which is the topsy-turvy nature of the NFL, where while teams like the Rams can be horrible two weeks in a row, other like the Niners can look bad in one game against Arizona, then travel and win a game at Seattle. When you’re dealing with professionals, all of this is possible.

That having been said, we must note that the Giants, while a demon on the road, have lost four of their last five home games, and in fact went 3-5 at the Meadowlands last year, highly unusual for a team that won a Super Bowl title. Cincinnati’s running game showed a little more life last week, as Chris Perry registered 64 yards on the ground. And even though they haven’t produced yet, we know from plenty of past experience that the trio of Palmer, Johnson/Ocho Cinco and Houshmadzadeh are perfectly capable of putting points on the board.

Don’t ignore the improvement in the Cincinnati defense either. The Bengals are already getting a return from first-round draft pick Keith Rivers, have a healthier linebacking corps, and have only allowed four TD’s in two games (one TD by Tennessee last week was a blocked punt recovered in the end zone). We recognize weaknesses in the Cincinnati side, which include some trouble stopping the run and poor play at times in the special teams. But there is some upside here, and the price on the Giants is a little over-inflated. We’d like to see them win some more game at home before laying this kind of number.

We’re taking the points with the Bengals, the 13-point underdog in the BetUS NFL football betting odds.

JAY’S PLAY: CINCINNATI +13 **

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