Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets Preview and Post

NFL Football Betting Preview
Cincinnati Bengals (10-5) at New York Jets (8-7)
Sunday January 3rd, 8:20PM Eastern

Betus.com betting line – Jets -10, 35 O/U

Out of a remarkable turn of events over the last two weeks, the New York Jets control their playoff destiny and can lock up a spot in the postseason with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday night. The Jets got tons of help last week with losses from nearly everyone they needed to lose and scored a huge upset win over the Colts 29-15. The Jets will now attempt to close out the season strong against the AFC North Division Champs in Cincinnati. Still, Cincinnati has been strong all season and they are a tough team to beat when they are playing well.

However, the Bengals may not have much to play for entering Sunday’ nights battle. The top two spots in the AFC playoff race have been decided. The Bengals could move up to the no. 3 seed if the Patriots lose and the Bengals capture the victory this Sunday. However, that may not be the most important factor. The Bengals will likely rest most of their big play starters Sunday night to not only keep them rested, but also keep them safe from sustaining any injury before the postseason. QB Carson Palmer will definitely see very little playing time in the action. Also, offensive stars Cedric Benson and Chad Ochocinco are expected to see limited action. The question is will the guys on the field be able to challenge the Jets and perhaps even pull off the victory?

Without the Bengals entire starting offense on the field, they will face a very difficult task in moving the ball against the Jets defense. The New York defense has played exceptional over the past few weeks. In fact, the Jets defense has held opponents to just 9.4 points per game over their last 5 games. The Jets strong defense is a big reason that the total for the game stands at a very low mark of 35. The ideal situation for the Jets is to get off to a very strong start. Cincinnati may have all the starters on the field to start the game, but if the defense comes out hitting hard and gets help from the offense it is unlikely those starters stay on the field long.

On offense, the Jets have not been overpowering by any means. QB Mark Sanchez has not thrown over 154 yards, but once in the last 5 games. Running back Thomas Jones has been the reliable threat on the ground. Jones rushed for 105 yards in last week’s 17-10 victory over Kansas City and has rushed for at least 75 yards in 10 of the last 11 games. Jones will likely set the tempo in Sunday night’s game as he normally does for the Jets offense. Of course if Jones moves the ball on the ground, Sanchez passing attempts will be needed much less. Still, Sanchez needs to complete some passes and get some scores on the board early for the Jets offense. Sanchez has been the biggest factor in the last two losses by the Jets throwing 7 interceptions in those two games. As long as there are not horrible performances like those previous losses, the Jets should be able to get the job done against a Cincinnati team that may not be very interested in the outcome.

Betting Trends -

The Bengals are just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games while going under the total in 4 of the last 5 games. The Jets have also gone under the total in 4 of their last 5 games. However, the Jets have performed a little bit better against the books going 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games. During that stretch the Jets are also 4-1 SU.

Pick – No way Jets should lose here if the Bengals do indeed rest the starters. Jets -10