The 2015-16 NFL’s WEEK 16 – MNF on Monday the 28th of December 2015 we have the 11-3 Bengals (1st AFC-North) play at the 10-4 Denver Broncos (1st AFC- West) with the game being played at the Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado and the kick-off is scheduled for 8:35 PM ET and seen on ESPN.
For the wagering fans that Bet on NFL football at a sportsbook the lines are favoring the Broncos at -3, -120 with the Over/under at 40 ½ and -170 on the Money Line, while the Cincinnati Bengals are listed as the underdogs at + 3 EV and +150 on the ML. The Bengals moved up a game over the Broncos in their race for the No. 2 spot in the AFC and will seek to increase that with a win over the Broncos in this last Monday Night Football Game of 2015.
For the fans of the 11-3 Cincinnati Bengals their team returned to the win column with last week win over the 49ers of San Francisco 24-14 and the win brings them to postseason play for the 5th consecutive season.
The Bengals started former Alabama QB A. McCarron and in his 1st NFL start he got a win as the completed 15 of his 21 passing attempts for some 193 yards and 1 TD, and ended the game with a passing rating of 115.7. Also standing out in that win was J. Hill who had 19 carries for 33 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. However, he will find the running more difficult against the Broncos who are only allowing opponents some 80 yards rushing this season, which is the least in the NFL in 2015.
Since the Broncos have such a stout rushing defense, the Bengals will need QB McCarron to step up his passing game, and will likely seek out WR M. Jones whom against 49ers had 4 catches for 90 yards for the Bengals. To date this season Cincinnati is ranked 11th for offensive passing with some 257 yards each game. The Bengals in their road games this season are 7-0 against the spread.
Meanwhile the 10-4 Denver Broncos are struggling as the lost their 2nd consecutive game with a tough loss to the Steelers of Pittsburgh 34-27 on Sunday last week. In that game the Broncos could not stop QB B. Roethlisberger who passed for some 3 touchdowns and 382 yards. The loss was the 3rd in the Broncos ultimate 7 games.
Thus, the Broncos will seek to make a comeback to the win column in this Monday Night Prime Time game with the Bengals. To do that they certainly need to improve their defensive play, as in the Steelers game they allowed Pittsburgh some 378 yard in total for the game. In this game with the Bengals the Broncos defense needs to be playing at its best, as the Bengals this season have averaged scoring some 27 points each game, which ranks 4th in the NFL this 2015 season.
On offense the will need to step up their offense play, especially down the stretch since they were unable to score in the 2nd half against the Steelers as the led their 17-0 lead at the half disappear. That seems to have become a pattern, since in their ultimate 3 games they have not scored in the 2nd half of those games.
A major concern for the Broncos in this game is the status of QB B. Osweiler who bruised his shoulder against the Steelers and after that injury and in the 2nd half of the game he only completed 7 of his 26 passing attempts for just 85 yards, and also gave up an interception that allowed the Steelers to score the winning TD.
That injury could bring back their legendary QB P. Manning to start the game against the Bengals. Manning returned to practice this past Monday as he was recovering from a left foot injury. However, QB P. Manning has also struggled this season as he has given up 17 intercepts while only passing for 9 touchdowns.
The sports betting prediction for this AFC match-up is that both teams struggle on offense but the Denver defense holds its own as the beat the Bengal in a close 27-24 win!