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NFL Week 16 Betting – Bengals Can Punch Playoff Ticket vs. Broncos (MNF)

John Benson

by John Benson in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:40 AM PST

Denver Broncos (-3, 47.5 o/u) at Cincinnati Bengals

As impressive as the Cincinnati Bengals (9-4-1, 4-2-1 home) were last week shutting down the Cleveland Browns and rookie Johnny Manziel, it’s going to be a totally different experience for the AFC North-leading team when they host Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos (11-3, 4-3 away) on Monday Night Football (8:30 p.m. Eastern).

“It’s going to be a big shift, safe to say,” said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. “It’s a challenge. He gets everyone’s attention in this building right away. The player he is, how he carries himself, how he runs things on the field. It’s going to be a great challenge for us. It’s what it’s supposed to be in December, just like this.”

For the Bengals, a win on Monday night would equal a fourth-straight playoff appearance. If Cincinnati loses, that opens the door for the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens to takeover top spot in the AFC North.

“We have to get through this game before we have any opportunities at January,” Lewis said. “It’s been [a playoff mentality] for the last seven weeks, since Halloween. Preparation and how you go about it, and the confidence of knowing what to do and how to do it allows you to play fast. That’s the most important thing, for us: to play fast, to play physical, to play smart.”

Unfortunately for Cincy, nobody plays smarter than Manning. The future Hall-of-Famer has already led the Broncos to a playoff spot and, now, the team is playing for a first-round bye and home-field advantage. A win on Sunday would secure the former, while Denver will have to win out and hope the Patriots falter to earn the latter.

Said Broncos head coach John Fox, “It’s our goal every year. Everybody’s hope and dream before the season is you’ll be hoisting that championship trophy. We got close last year and came up short. Obviously, [the AFC West title] is a great accomplishment, but we still have more season left.”

Both teams are coming off impressive wins in week 15. The Bengals massacred division rival, Cleveland, 30-0, making the 1.5-point spread look like an insult, while the Broncos played a solid road game against the Chargers, triumphing 22-10 and covering as four-point faves.

While the initial feel for this game is the Broncos, there are questions surrounding Manning’s passing game. More so, this isn’t last year’s Denver team. That’s why the over (47.5) is the safer play.

(Photo credit: emeybee (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)

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