Even without the emotional factor following the death of their teammate, the Cincinnati Bengals probably have no right laying two TDs to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sometimes, the KISS philosophy works extremely well in the handicapping process – Keep It Simple, Stupid!
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Bengals are 0-6 ATS as a favorite so far this season, losing three of those games in outright fashion. In fact, the underdog in Cincinnati games this year has gone 12-1 ATS – the Bengals are a good team to take points with but they make a very poor favorite.
Cincy faces a major distraction this week after the team travelled to Florida for Chris Henry’s funeral on Tuesday, losing practice time as well as their teammate. And the Bengals' repeated offensive struggles make them a poor choice for this two touchdown pointspread range to begin with.
The Bengals have been held to 18 points or less in seven of their last ten games, including games against defensive weaklings like Detroit, Cleveland and Oakland (0-3 ATS against said weaklings).
The Chiefs lost at home to Cleveland last week, giving up two kick return touchdowns to Joshua Cribbs and nearly 300 rushing yards to Jerome Harrison. Lost in the defeat were the positive signs from KC’s offense – 34 points, and nearly 500 total yards; buoyed by the return of star receiver Dwayne Bowe to the lineup after a four game absence.
Kansas City head coach Todd Haley was adamant about his desire to create some positive momentum heading into the offseason.
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“I think there is no doubt you can create momentum," Haley said. "When you can finish strong you definitely give yourself a boost going into the offseason We’re going on the road against a very good playoff-caliber team that’s playing to get in.
"It’s an opportunity for us to have a positive experience and bounce back from a poor performance on defense and, offensively, I feel like we’re building a little momentum which gives us a chance to go against a very good defense, specifically run defense, and build on what we’re doing."
Free Pick: Chiefs +13½ (-110)