The Cincinnati Bengals were one of the hottest teams in the NFL at the end of last season, making what transpired in the playoffs all the more puzzling heading into this year.
Regardless, the Bengals are still the defending AFC North champions and favorites to repeat, just ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers in current AFC North odds at 8-5.
Cincinnati (11-5 straight-up and 10-5-1 against the spread in 2013) closed out last year by winning five of six games both straight up and against the spread, which immediately followed two straight overtime losses on the road by a field goal or less.
They open with a tough divisional task at Baltimore, in a game that has moved to a pickem on the Week 1 betting menu.
The Bengals looked to be a very dangerous foe in the AFC going into the postseason and a legitimate Super Bowl contender more than capable of winning it all.
But a 27-10 home loss to the San Diego Chargers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs caught many fans and bettors by surprise, as Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton turned in a dismal performance with two interceptions and one fumble in the last two quarters following a 10-7 halftime lead.
The Bengals rewarded Dalton with a six-year contract extension worth up to $115 million in the offseason, and he will need to start earning that money this season in order to help people forget that playoff loss.
Cincinnati definitely has the talent to make another run at the Super Bowl and could have some value before the season starts at 40-1 to win the big game and 16-1 to win the AFC.
The Bengals did lose free-agent defensive end Michael Johnson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason, but they still have DE Carlos Dunlap on the outside and defensive tackle Geno Atkins on the inside to disrupt opposing QBs.
The offense will be interesting to watch, though, with former offensive coordinator Jay Gruden now the head coach of the Washington Redskins. Hue Jackson takes over for Gruden and is extremely familiar with the Cincinnati offense since he has been on the team’s staff over the last two seasons.
Look for second-year running back Giovani Bernard to become a star for Jackson after showing glimpses of his potential last year as a rookie.
The Bengals also must play a much tougher stretch to close out the 2014 regular season, including two meetings with the Steelers and a game against the Denver Broncos over the last month, which could ultimately determine whether or not they go over nine wins again.
Odds and stats courtesy of Odds Shark.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1AfFdYp
via IFTTT September 05, 2014 at 10:49AM
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