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Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals NFL Lines & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

Bengals broncos 9909 The Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals open up their respective 2009 NFL campaigns this Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Both teams are coming off very disappointing 2008 seasons. The Broncos lost their final three games of the regular season to cost themselves a division title and playoff berth and the Bengals won only four games with quarterback Carson Palmer sidelined for most of the year. These teams last met in 2006 when the Broncos edged out the Bengals 24-23 at home. Overall, the Broncos have won 10 of the last 12 meetings and hold a commanding 16-8 lead in the all-time series. But NFL odds makers aren’t going with history in this one, listing the home Bengals as 4-point favorites with the total set at 43.

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Here’s a nice little tidbit for you. The Broncos have the AFC’s best Week 1 record with a 31-17-1 all-time showing in season openers. Continuing their Week 1 success does figure to be a challenge this year. New Broncos head coach Josh McDaniel traded Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler and signed a bunch of free agents this offseason to make his presence felt in the organization right away. Let’s just hope that he didn’t bite off more than he can chew too soon. McDaniels has his fare share of doubters, but he will get a chance to silence them this Sunday.

The Broncos lost Cutler, but they didn’t appear to be sitting too badly at the quarterback position until the injury bug started creeping in. Starting quarterback Kyle Orton dislocated the knuckle on his throwing hand in the third game of the preseason. It was reported that he returned to practice this week and was able to throw close-range passes accurately. He was listed as probable on the last report I saw. Quarterback Chris Simms may have been the starter had he not gone down with an ankle injury. It will also be interesting to see how wide receiver Brandon Marshall performs if he gets the green light after being suspended during the preseason for conduct detrimental to the team. While their seems to be a lot of negatives surrounding this team, sometimes there is truth in numbers. the underdog is 4-1 against the spread in the last five meetings in this series and the Bengals are just 1-7 against the spread in their last eight games as a favorite of 3.5-10.0 points. If you like the Denver head man Josh McDaniel to make a statement with a Week 1 victory, bet the Broncos at +4 at BetUS.

A major thing to look for when watching the Bengals offense is how well their rebuilt offensive line is able to protect Carson Palmer. Palmer missed the final 11 games of the 2008 season with an elbow injury and then sat out most of the preseason with an ankle injury. The Bengals QB could be a little rusty in the opener as he hasn’t exactly gotten a lot of reps in. While Palmer figures to be a major key to the success of the Bengals so does running back Cedric Benson who received a second chance in Cincinnati last season. Here’s a fun stat. When Benson gets 20 or more totes, his teams are an impressive 7-0-1. The Bengals have been pass-happy in the past but a more balanced attack may serve them well in 2009. It is worth noting that the Broncos are only 6-14 against the spread in their last 20 road games so if you think Cincy has the edge at home, bet the Bengals at -4 at BetUS.

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