The New York Giants will be traveling west to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday and at 3-7 and 2-7-1 respectively, these are two of the bottom 10 teams in the NFL (1pm ET; TV: Live on Fox).
That doesn’t mean we can’t find a gambling edge and profit off this less than stellar matchup. So read on for the New York Giants vs Cincinnati Bengals predictions, full preview and betting picks from USAbetting.
Both are coming off tumultuous weeks and look to get back on the field as soon as possible. The Giants were on a bye but fired their offensive line coach after a dispute with head coach Joe Judge that reportedly turned physical. The Giants are still in the division race in the lowly NFC East and will be highly motivated to get a win this week.
The Bengals are coming off a devastating loss to the Washington Football Team in a game that they lost starting quarterback Joe Burrow for the season. Burrow suffered a brutal knee injury that is even worse than initially feared. An MRI revealed a torn ACL, MCL and other structural damage. Adam Schefter reports that similar knee injuries have sidelined players anywhere from 9-12 months. Burrow was having an impressive rookie campaign prior to the injury. He is 10th in the NFL in passing yards with 2,688. He had 13 passing touchdowns to only five interceptions and also added three touchdowns on the ground.
Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor announced that Brandon Allen will get the start at quarterback on Sunday. Allen made his only three career starts last season for the Broncos. He only completed 46.43 percent of his passes, threw three touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked nine times for a loss of 59 yards.
Giants Defense to Stifle Inexperienced Quarterback?
The Giants’ defense has been surprisingly strong on the season, ranking 12 out of 32 teams in average points allowed per game (23.6). In week 10 before their bye they held Carson Wentz and the Eagles to 17 points. In week 8 they were able to hold Tom Brady and a talented Tampa offense to 25 points.
With Burrow, the Bengals had been only able to average 21.3 points per game. Burrow’s talent alone was able to cover up a lot of holes on a struggling offense. Without him I expect them to take another step in the wrong direction. They will also be without star running back Joe Mixon again this week. Mixon went on the IR last week due to a lingering foot injury and is eligible to return to the lineup week 14 at the earliest. Mixon’s backup Giovanni Bernard is questionable after suffering a concussion last week. He did not practice on Wednesday and will need to be monitored throughout the week. This could be one less weapon that backup quarterback Brandon Allen has at his disposal.
The Giants have been stout against the run on the season. They rank 6th in the NFL only giving up 100.9 rushing yards per game on average. This defense can be exploited through the air but I don’t think Allen will be able to do so. If the Bengals can’t establish any semblance of a running game the Giants will sell out against the pass and make the inexperienced quarterback beat them through with his arm. The Bengals have also been unable to protect the quarterback, which could spell disaster for a quarterback making only his fourth start in the NFL.
The Bengals are second to last in the league allowing 36 sacks through 10 games. In his three starts with the Broncos Allen was sacked nine times. I think the Giants’ defense will be able to completely shut down a Bengals’ offense that is missing two of its best players (Burrow and Mixon).
Our Betting Preview’s New York Giants vs Cincinnati Bengals Predictions & Picks Opinion
I am going with the trusted USA bookies’ 6pts road favorite, the New York Giants. They could easily win by double digits and I feel safer betting favorites at a touchdown or less on the spread. I think the Giants will be able to stop the running game and make Brandon Allen have success through the air.
The Bengals’ weak offensive line will be a huge mismatch and will have Allen running for his life back there. If Daniel Jones is able not to make dumb mistakes and bad interceptions then the offense should have no issues moving the ball and scoring. This is a big ask for a quarterback that has nine interceptions and four fumbles lost on the season.
The Bengals’ defense gives up on average 27.0 points per game and 254.7 passing yards per game (25th in the league). Jones and the offense has enough weapons to comfortably score and I have zero confidence in the Bengals’ ability to keep up. If the Giants don’t turn the ball over a bunch and give Allen and the offense short fields to work with they should cover with ease. I see this being an easy win and cover for the Giants: Let’s say a double-digit victory at 27-13.
- I would play this as high as Giants -7pts. The Giants are currently -6pts for -110 with Bovada, Intertops and Bookmaker, so bet the Giants -6pts @ best odds of -108 with BetOnline.
Alex Uplinger is a sports betting analyst, writer, podcast producer and an expert on NFL and college basketball. As well as his football previews for USA Betting, Alex produces and co-hosts an NFL show for Full Slate and a sports betting podcast on the Blue Wire Network.