Betting Overview:
NFL betting fans who love to gorge on Thanksgiving Day football were happy when a third game was added to the holiday schedule. The Cincinnati Bengals have very little to be thankful for this season as they have failed to live up to their preseason NFL predictions. The NFL scores racked up by the Bengals have shown a team that is out of sync on offense, and out of luck on defense.
The New York Jets touted themselves as the next Super Bowl champions before the season started, but few believed that a team with no depth could possibly go very far in the playoffs. To this point, the Jets have been incredibly fortunate not to have any major injuries to key players and that is what has made them the best team in the AFC. The Jets dominate on both sides of the ball, and have one of the best offensive lines in football. But the thing that has really carried the Jets to this point is that they make very few mistakes on offense or defense.
Offense:
The greatest fear of all other AFC teams is starting to materialize; Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez actually is turning into a pressure quarterback. In the dying seconds of last week’s game against the Houston Texans, Sanchez led the Jets to a game winning touchdown that looked like something Marion or Elway had orchestrated. A long bomb to Braylon Edwards followed up by a touch pass to Santonio Holmes sealed the game for the Jets. It is wins like that which are making the Jets into a Super Bowl contender.
The Bengals offense is just all off. Cincinnati went into the locker room at halftime against the Buffalo Bills up 31-14. That should have been lights out for the Bills, but Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is so fixated on getting the ball to wide receiver Terrell Owens that he is ignoring a wide open Chad Ochocinco. On one occasion in the Bills game, Ochocinco was standing all alone in the endzone as Palmer threw the ball over the middle and incomplete. Running back Cedric Benson is showing signs of giving up on the season, and Terrell Owens himself continues to put pressure on the offense to perform.
Defense:
The Jets have one of the top defenses in the league. By all accounts, over the past three or four weeks, the Jets have the top defense in the league followed closely by the Green Bay Packers. The Jets have Antonio Cromartie and Darelle Revis shutting down both sides of the field in the passing game. That allows the defensive line to tee-off on the run and get to the quarterback. There is very little that an offense can do to trick or beat the New York Jets defense.
The Bengals defense completely collapsed against the Buffalo Bills last week. Cincinnati could not stop the run or the pass at all in the second half. Towards the end of the game it looked like the Bengals defense gave up and the Bills were walking into the endzone from 20 and 30 yards out. The best the Bengals can hope for in this game is to not get blown out, and in order to do that they need their defense to play a full game.
The Bottom Line:
The Cincinnati Bengals are a mess. The offense is arguing and the defense has given up. The New York Jets will not take very long to exploit the weak points of the Bengals and it is a possibility that this could be the most lopsided game of the season.
BSN Sports Pick: New York Jets
