Denver Broncos O 43
On the face of it, this selection does not make alot of sense. Cincinnati is averaging only 16.6 points per game. Quarterback Carson Palmer is completing only 54% of his passes, and has already thrown 8 interceptions. On the other side of the football, Denver's offense once again is starting to thrive in the RUSHING department as Reuben Droughns has rambled for a grand total of 369 yards in the past two weeks. The more you RUN the football, the more time you take off the clock, which has always been good news for the "under" player. Another reason why this selection really does not make sense is because Denver has become a DEFENSIVE oriented team. In the offseaon, head coach Mike Shanahan saw what the Carolina Panthers did to make the Super Bowl, and vowed to improve his defense. Not only did they get star CB Champ Bailey in that infamous Clinton Portis trade with Washington, they also brought in Jon Lynch who starred for 10 seasons in the Tampa Bay secondary. Thus it should not come as too much of a shock that Denver is ranked FIRST in yards and SECOND in points allowed on the defensive end. At this point, you must be wondering why in the world I would go "against the grain" and recommend the OVER. The main reason is that the Cincinnati defense is ranked dead LAST versus the RUN, due to a myriad of injuries both on the front line and at linebacker. Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis is trying to build the Bengals in the same mold as Mike Shanahan, which is that the TEAM is greater than the individual parts. The problem with Lewis right now is that he lacks the overall defensive personell to make that theory work. During his days as Baltimore's defensive coordinator, he had standout players like Ray Lewis. It is going to take time for Lewis to rebuild that awful Bengals defense. Meanwhile on the offensive end, QB Carson Palmer (190 attempts) has been forced to THROW the football because Cincy is always playing catch-up from an early deficit. The biggest challenge tonight will be for the Bengals to control Denver's running game. Since 1992, the average TOTAL POINTS in Cincinnati HOME games versus dominant BALL CONTROL teams is 53 TOTAL POINTS!!! Also dating back to 1992, Denver is a shocking 7-0 OVER/ROAD following a brilliant defensive performance where they allowed 6-or-LESS points!!! Now you know why I am going against the grain with the total this evening.
GOOD LUCK
On the face of it, this selection does not make alot of sense. Cincinnati is averaging only 16.6 points per game. Quarterback Carson Palmer is completing only 54% of his passes, and has already thrown 8 interceptions. On the other side of the football, Denver's offense once again is starting to thrive in the RUSHING department as Reuben Droughns has rambled for a grand total of 369 yards in the past two weeks. The more you RUN the football, the more time you take off the clock, which has always been good news for the "under" player. Another reason why this selection really does not make sense is because Denver has become a DEFENSIVE oriented team. In the offseaon, head coach Mike Shanahan saw what the Carolina Panthers did to make the Super Bowl, and vowed to improve his defense. Not only did they get star CB Champ Bailey in that infamous Clinton Portis trade with Washington, they also brought in Jon Lynch who starred for 10 seasons in the Tampa Bay secondary. Thus it should not come as too much of a shock that Denver is ranked FIRST in yards and SECOND in points allowed on the defensive end. At this point, you must be wondering why in the world I would go "against the grain" and recommend the OVER. The main reason is that the Cincinnati defense is ranked dead LAST versus the RUN, due to a myriad of injuries both on the front line and at linebacker. Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis is trying to build the Bengals in the same mold as Mike Shanahan, which is that the TEAM is greater than the individual parts. The problem with Lewis right now is that he lacks the overall defensive personell to make that theory work. During his days as Baltimore's defensive coordinator, he had standout players like Ray Lewis. It is going to take time for Lewis to rebuild that awful Bengals defense. Meanwhile on the offensive end, QB Carson Palmer (190 attempts) has been forced to THROW the football because Cincy is always playing catch-up from an early deficit. The biggest challenge tonight will be for the Bengals to control Denver's running game. Since 1992, the average TOTAL POINTS in Cincinnati HOME games versus dominant BALL CONTROL teams is 53 TOTAL POINTS!!! Also dating back to 1992, Denver is a shocking 7-0 OVER/ROAD following a brilliant defensive performance where they allowed 6-or-LESS points!!! Now you know why I am going against the grain with the total this evening.
GOOD LUCK
