Bengals, Cardinals Close Out Week 3 of NFL Preseason Sunday Night
By:
Monte Scates |
Friday, August 22, 2014
Arizona Opened as a 2.5-Point Home Favorite Against Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati Bengals will travel to Arizona to take on the
Cardinals on Sunday Night Football to close out Week 3 of the NFL preseason.
The LVH SuperBook opened Arizona a 2.5-point favorite with the total set at 43
(click here to check the latest
NFL odds). Week 3 carries so much importance in the preseason because this is when
the starters usually play the most in preparation for the start of the regular
season, so many teams will keep their starters in for the entire first half and
some through the third quarter.
Cincinnati has yet to win a game this preseason, losing by
two points to the Kansas City Chiefs (41-39) in Week 1 and by eight to the New
York Jets (25-17) in Week 2. Both games went "over" the total with the Bengals
going 0-1-1 against the spread. Keep in
mind, they are the defending AFC
North champions with a Season Win Total of 9 posted at the SuperBook.
But the most important thing for Cincy is not wins and
losses in the preseason, it's the health of star defensive tackle Geno Atkins,
who is battling back from a torn ACL and is scheduled to return for the
regular-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 6. However, Atkins
has not been ruled out for the preseason and listed as doubtful to play in this
game (click here to check
our updated NFL injury report). He is not the type of player the Bengals will
want to rush back onto the field, although he still hopes to play.
The Cardinals are dealing with a serious injury to an All-Pro
defensive lineman as well, as Darnell Dockett tore his ACL in practice last
week and will be lost for the season. This is a serious blow to a unit that
ranked sixth in total defense last season and also lost starting linebacker Karlos
Dansby in free agency to the Cleveland Browns. Without those two impact players,
many are expecting Arizona's defense to take a big step back this year, putting
even more pressure on the offense to produce.
The Cardinals are 1-1 straight-up this preseason but 2-0 ATS.
A player to keep an eye on for Arizona is wide receiver Michael Floyd, who is
coming off a breakout season last year with 65 catches for 1,041 yards and five
touchdowns. Look for the team to lean on Floyd more this season as star WR
Larry Fitzgerald gets another year older.
The best individual matchup of the night will be between
Bengals All-Pro WR A.J. Green and Cardinals All-Pro cornerback Patrick
Peterson. This will be as good as just about any head-to-head player matchup
you will see all year and should be very fun to watch. Fans and bettors can expect
Green and Peterson to be playing with a regular-season level of intensity.
Arizona's regular season win total is 7.5 OVER -155, and
getting there will be tough considering the difficult opponents the team must
face twice each in the NFC
West. Even though it's the preseason, playing well against a playoff team
from last year in the Bengals could go a long way in giving the Cardinals the
confidence they will need heading into the regular season.