Giants vs. Bengals prediction: ‘Sunday Night Football’ picks, odds

The Bengals’ odds of reaching the postseason took another hit last week with their overtime home loss to the Ravens. 

According to TeamRankings, Cincinnati has been the unluckiest team this season. 

Though we would like to think that luck is something that tends to even out over a season, the Bengals just continue to find new ways to lose ballgames. 

They will try again to get back in the win column Sunday night when they face the Giants at MetLife Stadium.

Though the Bengals should be better than their 1-4 record, bettors should opt for a different approach instead of rushing to lay 3.5 points on the road. 

Bengals outlook: Coaching failures 

Given the fine margins between winning and losing in the NFL, the Bengals’ coaching staff can’t continue their history of mismanaging games. 

In Joe Burrow’s second season in 2021, coach Zac Taylor expressed his regret for taking the ball out of his quarterback’s hands following an overtime loss to the 49ers.

With the game tied at 20, Cincinnati won the coin toss and elected to receive.

Burrow completed two passes to move the Bengals to the 49ers’ 26-yard line. 

Nevertheless, instead of allowing his quarterback to continue to sling the ball, Taylor waited until third down to finally call a passing play.

Burrow got sacked and the Bengals settled for a field goal, allowing the 49ers a chance to tie or win the game with a touchdown. 

We saw a similar scenario play out last week, when Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson fumbled in overtime.

Cincinnati recovered the ball in Ravens territory on the 38-yard line and ran the ball three times, picking up just 3 yards and settling for a 53-yard field goal. 

This time, Bengals kicker Evan McPherson missed wide, and Baltimore needed just one play to get to Cincinnati’s 6-yard line thanks to a Derrick Henry 51-yard run. 

In summary, Taylor’s reluctance to trust his franchise quarterback is why the Bengals are in a fight for their playoff lives just five games into the season. 

Giants outlook: Jones’ growth 

It was nothing but doom and gloom following Big Blue’s 0-2 start. Nevertheless, none of the Giants’ defeats have been bad losses.

After all, the Vikings, Commanders and Cowboys are all above .500 with a combined 12-3 record. 

Quarterback Daniel Jones ranks 12th in Total QBR (60.6), and if you omit his Week 1 stinker against the Vikings, he’d have a 68.3 Total QBR, which would rank fifth in the NFL. 

Jones is showing some growth in his ability to utilize all of his wide receivers, which is key since star rookie Malik Nabers is set to miss another week with a concussion. 

The biggest thing we’ll learn Sunday might involve the Giants’ defense, which ranks 19th in FTN Fantasy’s Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA). 

It’s worth noting that Burrow has the highest Total QBR (73.6) of any quarterback the Giants will have faced this season. 

Betting on the NFL?

Bengals vs. Giants pick 

The Bengals offense is on full tilt, ranking second in DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) and fourth in points scored.

But if Taylor continues to get in the way, Burrow’s only recourse is to try and put up as many points as possible to keep his head coach from screwing things up. 

Historically, in this price range as a 3.5-point favorite, the Bengals are averaging 30.5 points with Burrow under center.

As a result, I love the thought of backing the Bengals to go Over their alternate team total of 24.5 points at -120 odds. 

Recommendation: Bengals ALT team total Over 24.5 (-120, DraftKings)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Michael Arinze handicaps most major sports for the New York Post. He’s cashed two 15-leg teasers in his betting career as well as a 12-leg parlay that included eight Little League World Series games. More recently, he accurately picked finalists in the 2024 European Championships and Copa America.