Arizona Cardinals (7-7) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)
Arizona and Cincinnati weren’t expected to contend for a playoff berth this year, but both of them are still in the chase with two weeks of the regular season remaining.
Time/Date: 1:00 PM EST, December 24, 2011
Venue: Paul Brown Stadium
Broadcast: CBS
Browns vs. Ravens Gambling Odds from 5Dimes
Spread: Bengals -4
Moneyline: Bengals (-205) Cardinals (+180)
Over/Under: 41
Arizona has won four straight games to stay in the playoff race. The Bengals have slumped a bit going down the stretch, but they did right the ship with a win last week. The winner stays in the playoff race, while the loser will see their final hopes dashed.
The Cardinals have been pulling out close victories on a consistent basis lately. Two of the Cardinals last four wins have come in overtime. The other two victories were by two and three points respectively. This team has been finding a way to win those close games, and that has to be encouraging to their fan base. Kevin Kolb is listed as questionable and he has been limited in practice this week. John Skelton may get yet another start this weekend. Skelton threw for 313 yards in last week’s win over the Browns. The emergence of Beanie Wells in the backfield has helped the Cardinals in a huge way this year. Wells is just six yards short of 1,000 rushing yards this year, and he is averaging 4.3 yards per carry.
Arizona’s defense got a massive boost when the team drafted Patrick Peterson this past April. Peterson leads the team with 11 pass deflections, and he is a terrific play maker on special teams. Daryl Washington is having a breakout season for this defense, and he leads the team with 74 solo tackles. The Cardinals are giving up 21.8 points per game this year. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Andy Dalton stepped into a difficult situation at Cincinnati, but he has had a terrific rookie campaign. Dalton has thrown 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions so far this year. He is quickly becoming a leader on this team despite his young age. A.J. Green has already topped 1,000 yards receiving in his rookie season. Green averages 16.5 yards per catch, and he has seven touchdown catches. Jermaine Gresham is proving to be a favorite target of Dalton’s as well. Gresham has 46 catches already this year, and he is a great reliable tight end in the middle of the field. The Bengals need a solid game out of Cedric Benson. When Benson runs well, this team is difficult to beat.
The Bengals defense started out the season as one of the best in the NFL, but injuries have slowed this unit down quite a bit of late. Leon Hall was the team’s best cover corner, and he is out for the year with a knee injury. Keith Rivers and Pat Sims have also missed significant playing time of late. Cincinnati is ranked sixth in the NFL in total defense. This unit is giving up 20.2 points per game.
Both offenses have struggled some of late. I think this game will stay close throughout, and I like it to stay under the posted total.
Free NFL Pick: Under 41
