Despite Monday night Football’s sinking ratings, the top sportsbooks are still ready to deliver some of the best lines available for your bet on NFL games. This upcoming Monday night, the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Bengals will take to the field to deliver Week 10’s Monday Night Football action. Neither team has been overly impressive this season, but the Giants will be coming in off of three straight wins. Will the odds take into account Big Blue’s winning streak this Monday night?
NFL Odds – Week 10 – Monday, November 14th
New York Giants PK (-110) 47½ (-115)
Cincinnati Bengals PK (-110) 47½ (-105)
Apparently the sportsbooks are taking into account New York’s last three wins over the Ravens, the Rams, and the Eagles. With those three wins, the Giants propelled themselves back into the playoff discussion, albeit for a Wild Card berth. The Dallas Cowboys currently lead the NFC East, the Giants’ division, with their record of 7-1. So it would be difficult for the Giants to catch up with Dallas, but since New York is first in place for a Wild Card, it seems like the path of least resistance.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals are still fighting in the AFC North. Currently, the AFC North is up for grabs with the Ravens and Steelers tied at the top at 4-4, and the Bengals right behind them at 3-4-1. A win against the Giants would go a long way for Cincinnati, especially in a division that has no clear frontrunner. Looking over both of these teams’ numbers, who has the upper hand?
Statistically speaking, the Bengals have a much better offense. Right now the Bengals have the 4th pass offense, the 7th best rush offense, and the 6th best total offense in the NFL. The Giants offense greatly pales in comparison to those figures. Heading into Monday’s matchup, the Giants have the worst rushing offense in the NFL, the 6th best pass offense, but the 22nd worst total offense in the NFL. Without a running game to back him up, the pressure will be on Eli Manning to deliver New York to a victory, or risk falling out of the playoff race. In years past, the Giants offense was backed by their terrifying defense, has that been the case in 2016?
Looking over the Giants defense on paper, the answer to that question is a resounding no. As of now, the Giants have the 23rd worst total defense, made up of the 25th worst pass defense, but they do have the 9th best rushing offense. They might be able to stop the Bengals on the ground, but Andy Dalton should have no problem passing the ball on the Giants’ secondary. The sportsbook odds are backing the Giants, but a Bengal upset is far from unfathomable.