Cincinnati took its first loss of the season, failing to score a touchdown in a 10-6 verdict with Houston on Monday night.
A short turnaround has the Bengals facing their former quarterback in a matchup with the Cardinals in what could be a Super Bowl preview.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arizona Cardinals -3.5
Cincinnati Bengals +3.5
Over/Under 47
ODDS ANALYSIS
Arizona has been a solid bet over the course of the last few seasons, particularly at home. The Cards are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games at University of Phoenix Stadium. The line was wagered to Arizona -5 while the total spiked to 49.
KEY INJURIES
Andre Smith – Remains the Bengals biggest injury concern. The offensive lineman has missed the last two games with a concussion and is questionable to play Sunday night.
Adam Jones – Left Monday’s game briefly with a shoulder injury and later returned. He was held out of practice during the week, more as a precaution presumably.
Mike Iupati – Was taken off the field in an ambulance last week after a scary collision with Seattle’s Kam Chancellor. The Cardinals’ starting left guard suffered a neck injury and temporarily lost felling in his arms. He returned to practice in a limited capacity this week but is questionable to play on Sunday. Right guard Jonathan Cooper missed practice with a knee injury and is also questionable. Earl Watford and Ted Larsen are likely replacements.
KEY MISMATCH
Jones and the Bengals secondary put on a show against Houston, breaking up several key passes and keeping the contest from getting out of hand. That effort came against backup quarterback T.J. Yates and a less than stellar Houston passing attack. And that accomplishment pales in comparison to what the secondary must do against the Cardinals electrifying offense, a unit touting both Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd. Both receivers are big-bodied players who are nearly impossible to contain for an entire game. Fitzgerald has consumed 65 of 85 targets for 836 yards and seven scores, while Floyd is averaging 16 yards per catch and has five touchdowns on just 27 catches. If Jones, Dre Kirkpatrick and others cannot play physically at the line and give the pass rushers time to get to Carson Palmer, It’s going to be hard for the Bengals to stay in the game.
KEY STAT
16.9 – Cincinnati’s NFL-best points per game allowed. The Bengals will try and stop Arizona’s second-ranked offense that averages 33.6 points per game.
BETTING ANGLE
When Palmer faces his old team, he won’t be going through the motions of any ordinary game. Sure, the contest between Palmer’s Arizona Cardinals and the team that made him a first-overall pick will be in primetime with plenty of eyeballs in his direction for another week. But it’s the fact that Palmer is meeting his old coach and team that has him more fired up than usual. As Bengals coach Marvin Lewis’ first draft pick in 2003, Palmer went on to lead the team to two playoff berths before being dealt to the Raiders in October 2011. A little over four years ago he was home, away from football without pay, in a bitter stalemate with Cincinnati owner Mike Brown. Palmer wanted out after the team won just four games in 2010 and drafted Andy Dalton the following spring. Dalton hasn’t missed a game since taking over for Palmer.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
While Cincinnati’s loss on Monday night was a stunner, it might be just what the Bengals needed – a reality check. The Bengals can get back to work without the thought of a perfect football season. They also realize that another slip up has the Steelers right back in the AFC North race, so there’s that, too. Cincy didn’t play a crisp game last week. Dropped passes and a fumble on what should have been the game-winning drive were uncharacteristic mistakes. They won’t make them again. But the competition is a bit stiffer this week and even with a clean game, the Bengals will find themselves in a difficult situation. Arizona dropped 39 on the Seahawks last week and looked smooth doing it. The Cards’ improved running game is a perfect complement for Palmer and the pass attack and Arizona puts up another big number against a stout defense.
Arizona 28, Cincinnati 23
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