Football Betting – Cincinnati vs New York

The final Football Betting matchup of Thanksgiving evening will come from the New Meadowlands Stadium, where the New York Jets look to continue a wacky season with a victory over the Bengals. Will they get another crazy win, in a season full of them, on Thursday night? Let’s take a look.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-8 SU, 3-7 ATS) at New York Jets (8-2 SU, 6-4 ATS)

Thursday, November 25: 8:20 p.m. NFL Network, Live from New Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

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NFL Betting Odds:

Cincinnati: +8 ½
New York: -8 ½

Total: 44

That’s right, the Jets enter this one at 8-2, with their last four wins coming by six points or less. Included in those victories were back-to-back overtime wins at Detroit and Cleveland, and last weekend’s thriller against the Texans.

In that game, the Jets were up 23-7, before allowing 20 unanswered Houston points in the final 12 minutes. Trailing 27-23 with just 55 seconds left, quarterback Mark Sanchez led the Jets 68 yards on just five plays, culminating with a Santonio Holmes touchdown grab, giving New York an improbable win.

And really, the difference with this team all season long has been the improved play of Sanchez. Coming into the year, no one knew exactly what to expect from the second-year quarterback from USC, but the guy just keeps winning games. On the season, he has thrown for 2,306 yards and 15 touchdowns, leading the Jets to their improbable 8-2 start.

As for their opponents in Thursday’s Football Betting matchup, the Cincinnati Bengals are on the opposite side of the standings, as they’re just 2-8, after winning the AFC North last season. They are coming off maybe the most epic loss of the entire NFL season last Sunday, when they allowed 35 unanswered points to the Buffalo Bills to lose 49-31 at home.

The difference between last year and this one continues to be the running game. Cincinnati was one of the best teams a season ago, but this year, they’re averaging just 96 yards per game. A lot of the drop-off has to do with offensive line injuries, and some more to do with running back Cedric Benson.

After rushing for close to 1,300 yards last year, he’s well off that pace in 2010. Meanwhile, quarterback Carson Palmer isn’t helping things, as he’s completing under 61 percent of his passes, with 13 interceptions this year.

When you factor in Cincinnati’s struggles on offense, and the Jets ability on defense, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that New York should be your Football Betting pick Thursday night.

The Jets enter this one as one of the best defenses against the run (fifth in the NFL), and one of the elite defenses overall, allowing opponents just 310 yards and 17.7 points per game. While last Sunday against Houston wasn’t their best effort, it was just the second time all year that the Jets allowed more than 20 points.

In the end, this matchup really comes down to the fact that the Jets are just finding ways to win games right now, and the Bengals (losers of their last seven games straight up) are finding ways to lose them.

Take the J-E-T-S in your Thursday Football Betting wagers!

Football Betting Picks: New York -8 ½