Larry Ness' TOTAL OF THE MONTH! -NFL (won L2 by 50!)
My January Total of the Month is on NY/Cin Over at 8:20 ET. The Jets got a late Christmas present last week when the Colts pulled Peyton Manning and many of their starters. Many think the Bengals won't treat this game seriously, either. That's among the reasons why the total has dropped from its opening number. Don't expect the Bengals to just roll over and play dead though. If the Patriots lose, this game will have some meaning to them. Some will say the fourth seed is actually better for them than the third seed. That may indeed be true - but the Bengals aren't scared of the Chargers. Coach Marvin Lewis doesn't feel his team can go anything less than full speed in order to enter the playoffs in the right frame of mind. He said the following: "This team can't turn it on and off..." However, the Bengals decide to play it, this number is too low. The Jets put up 29 points last week, a game that finished with 44. These teams played last year - Palmer didn't play in that one - and they combined for 40 points. They also faced each other in 2007. That game saw 69 points scored, a 38-31 Bengals victory. With Bengals road games averaging 41 points this season and with the 'over' at 2-0 the last few seasons when the Jets have played a line with a total of less than 35, there's only one way to go here. *9