Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Giants Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The New York Giants own a 3-0 run both straight up and against the spread, propelling them into the thick of NFC playoff contention. The Giants shoot for four in a row when they host the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night at MetLife Stadium. 

Point spread: The Giants opened as two-point favorites; the total was 46 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 26.9-22.7 Giants (NFL picks on every game)

Why the Bengals can cover the spread

Cincinnati took a sister-kisser its last time out, playing Washington to a 27-27 tie in London two weeks ago. The Bengals then had last week off.

Cincy trailed the Redskins 10-7 at the half, took a 20-10 lead in the third quarter, let that get away and ultimately faced overtime. The Bengals then survived a late Washington field-goal attempt with an icing-of-the-kicker timeout and a subsequent miss.

Cincinnati came up with 415 yards on offense, including 152 on the ground, outrushing its opponent for the third straight game. And both wide receiver A.J. Green and tight end Tyler Eifert, in his second game back from injury, had 100-plus receiving yards.

In Week 7, the Bengals snapped a two-game losing skid with a 31-17 victory over Cleveland. So after a 2-4 start, Cincy is back within a game of .500 and just a half-game out of first place in the AFC North.

Why the Giants can cover the spread

New York won its third straight contest last week, holding off the Philadelphia Eagles 28-23. The Giants grabbed a quick 14-0 lead on the Eagles, let them get within 21-17 in the third quarter but added an insurance score and held on from there. A late Eli Manning interception gave Philly one last chance, but the New York defense came up with a stop, securing both the victory and the cover as three-point favorites.

Philly outgained the Giants on the day 443-302, but New York turned two Carson Wentz interceptions into 14 points, which made all the difference.

In Week 7, New York beat the Rams in London 17-10, and in Week 6, it beat Baltimore 27-23. At 5-3, the Giants are on track to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011, sitting with a 38.1 percent chance of claiming a wild-card berth, according to PredictionMachine.com.

Smart pick

Cincinnati has outrushed five of its last six opponents; New York has been outrushed by each of its last five foes. In the NFL, one of the best ways to win games and cover spreads is to win the ground battles. The smart money here backs the Bengals.

Betting trends

The total has gone over in five of the Bengals' last seven games against the Giants.

The Giants are 1-4 SU and ATS in their last five games on Monday.

The Bengals are 0-8-1 SU in their last nine games against teams with winning records.

All NFL betting lines and point-spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds-tracker app.