NFL Week 13 Odds: Cincinnati Bengals Getting a Touchdown Against New Orleans

Chris Trotman/Getty ImagesThe New Orleans Saints have shaken off any effects of a Super Bowl hangover to win their last four games. They will have an excellent opportunity to make in five in a row when they visit the lowly Cincinnati Bengals Sunday. NFL oddsmakers have listed the Saints as a 6.5-point favorite with the total set at 45.5. New Orleans routinely lit up the scoreboard as the highest scoring team in the league last season. They started this season, however, by only scoring 30 points once in their first eight games.It appears Drew Brees and company have rediscovered their mojo, scoring at least 30 points in each of their last three games. New Orleans hung 34 points on both Carolina and Seattle before scoring 30 in a win over Dallas on 6 Sanchez White Jersey
Thanksgiving. That’s a good sign, considering how poorly the Saints have performed in the red zone this season. New Orleans has only scored a touchdown on 45.7 percent of its red-zone trips (25th in the league). It ranks 29th overall in red-zone offense, only coming away with points 78.3 percent of the time. What gets lost in this stat, however, is the Saints are first in the league in red-zone opportunities. It’s likely only a matter of time before they really start rolling. Part of the Saints’ red-zone problems can be attributed to injuries to running back Pierre Thomas and tight end Jeremy Shockey. The Saints have missed Thomas’ ability to run between the tackles. They have also missed the sure hands of the physical target Shockey. Thomas is listed as questionable for Sunday with the sprained left ankle injury that has kept him sidelined since Week 3. Shockey’s status has been upgraded to probable, as he is recovering nicely from bruised ribs. Perhaps more important than the return of 6 Sanchez Green Jersey
these two is the return of safety Darren Sharper. He is listed as probable after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury. The Bengals have lost eight in a row, and they are 1-7 against the spread in those games. Sadly for Cincinnati, eight-game losing streaks are nothing new. In fact, this is the Bengals sixth eight-game skid in the last two decades. This season’s slide is even more disappointing considering the Bengals won the AFC North last year. Following a 26-10 loss to the New York Jets on Thanksgiving night, it will be interesting to see if the Bengals have the mental makeup to pick themselves back up. Cincy had its worst offensive game of the season against the Jets, gaining only 163 yards. It also turned the ball over three more times, bringing its embarrassing turnover total to 25. Winning the turnover battle is a must for Cincinnati Sunday, and it might just have a chance. New Orleans has coughed it up 11 times in its last five games and Brees has thrown 15 interceptions on the season. The Bengals have forced four turnovers in each of their wins. It is also worth noting that they intercepted Brees three times while winning the most recent meeting—a 31-16 victory in 2006. The Saints 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
are just 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games as a road favorite of 3.5 to 10.0 points. Bet with confidence in Week 13 by playing the same award-winning NFL picks as world champion handicapper Jimmy Boyd!