Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants Betting Preview
It’s important to remember that it’s just the preseason, but Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor would probably still like to see a better showing from his defense in Sunday’s exhibition week two matchup against the New York Giants. Cincinnati was rolled 36-23 last Friday at home against the Cardinals in the highest-scoring game of the weekend.
The New York Giants are -5.5 favorites on Sunday night, coming off a 23-21 victory in New England last weekend in their exhibition opener. That point spread seems on the high side with upwards of 18 Giants players too injured to suit up for this matchup, but can this one still go New York’s way?
Not a Great Opener for Bengals
The good news for the Bengals is that Joe Burrow is back on the practice field, taking part in team activities this week for the first time since February’s Super Bowl loss to the Rams. Burrow had missed the entirety of training camp after suffering a ruptured appendix on July 26th.
Even without the appendix issues, it’s unlikely that Burrow would have seen much action this preseason, as the Bengals’ season basically lives and dies with the health of their superstar QB. The depth chart behind Burrow isn’t great, with Brandon Allen, Jake Browning, and Drew Plitt all competing for backup QB roles with the club.
Browning got a bulk of the reps, going 13/24 last week in the loss to the Cardinals, a game that wasn’t as close as the final score considering Arizona went into the fourth quarter with a 36-9 lead. Cincinnati fumbled four times in that game (one lost) and had over 100 yards in penalties, so there is some sloppiness that Taylor would like to see shored up.
Daboll Likes Wins
Maybe it was because they were playing his old archrival from the AFC East, or maybe it was because it was his NFL head coaching debut, but former Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll really seemed to be going after the victory last week in the 23-21 win at New England. A Graham Gano 24-yard field goal as time expired accomplished that feat for the rookie head coach.
Now the Giants are back home as significant -5.5 favorites even though they are fighting through some injuries in camp.QB Daniel Jones is not among those banged up after going on the injured reserve in week 12 last season with a neck injury, and he was 6/10 for 69 yards last week in the win over New England.
It wouldn’t be a shocker if both Jones and Tyrod Taylor both played multiple drives on Sunday night. They are not only trying to learn Daboll’s system in game action, but also could have a legitimate QB controversy brewing after Taylor was 13/21 with a TD pass last week.
Bengals at Giants Pick and Prediction
The Giants have to get the edge in this game just for their edge at the QB position. Jones is a former first-round pick that should get multiple drives as he tries to work his way back from injury (and is in the fourth and final year of his rookie contract), while Taylor deserves a break more than anybody after losing the starting job with the Chargers after a team doctor accidentally punctured his lung.
On the other side of the football, the QB trio of Allen, Browning, and Plitt don’t do a lot to convey confidence in Cincinnati covering Sunday’s number. Daboll being the hungry young rookie coach and the Bengals being 2-6 in the preseason under Zac Taylor only solidified the play on New York.
Pick: Giants -5.5
