CINCINNATI (7 - 6) at PHILADELPHIA (4 - 9)
Top Trends for this game.
CINCINNATI is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) against NFC East division opponents since 1992.
PHILADELPHIA is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) in games where the line is +3 to -3 this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
CINCINNATI vs. PHILADELPHIA
Cincinnati is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games ,when playing Philadelphia
Cincinnati is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Philadelphia is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
Philadelphia is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
NFL Week 15
Bengals (7-6) @ Eagles (4-9) — Tend to favor contending team in these short-week games, since injured guys more likely to suck it up and play, but Cincy gagged away game with Dallas last week, ending 4-game win streak; AJ Green caught three balls for 44 yards, dropped two passes in clutch spots that cost Bengals four points each in game they should’ve won. Bengals won last two road games, didn’t allow offensive TD on 21 drives; they are 3-3 as favorite this year, 1-1 on road. Since 2010, they’re 4-2-1 as road favorites. Iggles snapped 8-game skid with win at Tampa Sun day, scoring on last play of game; they’ve lost last four home games, allowing 31 ppg (13 TD’s/43 drives). Cincy leads this series 7-3-1, are 4-3 here; last time these teams met was 13-13 tie in ’08, last NFL tie until Rams-Niners last month. AFC North favorites are 9-11 vs spread, 4-4 on road; NFC East underdogs are 10-5, 1-2 at home. Last five Bengal games stayed under; five of six Philly home games went over.
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NFL: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles
With the head-to-head tiebreaker belonging to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the battle for the final AFC Wild Card spot, the Cincinnati Bengals are ready for a must-win game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football. The Bengals are coming off a tough one-point loss to the Dallas Cowboys that ended their four-game win streak, and with back-to-back games against the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens to close out the year, this game will be crucial to their chances. The Eagles meanwhile are coming off their first win since week four, a 23-21 victory over the Buccaneers that may have very well ended Tampa Bay's chance at making the postseason. Philadelphia will turn back to rookie Nick Foles, who is likely to finish the season as their starter, with the hopes of playing spoiler this week. Cincinnati is at Pittsburgh next week, and a win here will put them in position to at least eliminate the head-to-head tiebreak.
Bengals at Eagles
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Philadelphia has been the NFL’s most disappointing team by far. The Eagles are mired in the basement of the NFC East cellar, watching their division cohorts fight it out while their long-time head coach is a lame duck.
Andy Reid’s three biggest stars – quarterback Michael Vick, RB LeSean McCoy and WR DeShaun Jackson, the team leaders in passing, rushing and receiving – won’t be in uniform when his team hosts Cincinnati on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
As of Wednesday afternoon, most books were listing the Bengals as four-point favorites with a total of 45½. Gamblers can take the Eagles on the money line for a plus-180 return (risk $100 to win $180).
Cincinnati (7-6 straight up, 6-6-1 against the spread) saw its four-game winning streak both SU and ATS halted in last week’s 20-19 home loss to Dallas as a 3½-point ‘chalk.’ After settling for four Josh Brown field goals, including three from inside of 33 yards, Marvin Lewis’s squad let a 19-10 advantage get away in the final stanza.
Tony Romo connected with Dez Bryant on a 27-yard scoring strike with 6:44 remaining to cut the deficit to 19-17. Then with four ticks left, Dan Bailey buried a 40-yard field goal to lift the Cowboys into the win column.
Andy Dalton completed 20-of-33 passes for 206 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception. BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 89 yards on just 12 carries.
For the season, Dalton is connecting on 63.4 percent of his throws and has a 90.3 QB rating. The TCU product has thrown for 3,186 yards with a 25/14 touchdown-interception ratio.
Dalton’s favorite target is second-year WR A.J. Green, who is looking to bounce back from a poor performance against Dallas. The University of Georgia product has 79 receptions for 1,151 yards and 10 TDs.
Green-Ellis has rushed for a team-high 974 yards and five TDs with 4.1 yards-per-carry average.
Philadelphia (4-9 SU, 3-9-1 ATS) ended its eight-game losing streak by winning a 23-21 decision at Tampa Bay last week as an eight point underdog. Rookie QB Nick Foles found Jeremy Maclin in the end zone for a one-yard TD pass on the final play of the game. The Eagles hooked up money-line backers with a plus-320 payout (paid $320 on $100 wagers).
Foles played his best game to date, completing 32-of-51 passes for 381 yards and two TDs without an interception. Foles also rushed for 27 yards and one TD on just three carries.
Maclin finished with nine catches for 104 yards against the Bucs, while Jason Avant had seven receptions for 133 yards.
Since taking over for Vick, Foles has started four games and thrown for 1,174 yards with a 4/3 TD-INT ratio.
Philadelphia has lost four in a row at home since beating both the Ravens and Giants back in September. Even worse, the Eagles are an atrocious 0-5-1 ATS at home. Since 2004, they have limped to an abysmal 3-9 spread record in 12 games as home underdogs.
Cincinnati has thrived on the road this year, compiling a 4-2 record both SU and ATS. During Lewis’s 10-year tenure, the Bengals are 14-11-1 as road favorites.
This is a crucial game for Cincy, which is tied with the Steelers for the final wild-card spot in the AFC. To close the regular season, the Bengals will play at Pittsburgh next week before hosting Baltimore in their regular-season finale.
The ‘under’ has cashed in five straight games for the Bengals and eight of their last 10. Cincy has watched the ‘under’ go 8-5 overall, 3-3 in its six road assignments.
The ‘under’ is 7-6 overall for the Eagles, but the ‘over’ has hit at a lucrative 5-1 clip in their six home games.
Dating back to 1988, the Bengals have covered the number in six consecutive head-to-head meetings against the Eagles. In the last encounter in 2008, these clubs battled to a 13-13 tie with Cincinnati taking the cash as a 9 ½-point road underdog. This was the infamous game in which Donovan McNabb told the media at the post-game presser that he didn’t know there were ties in the NFL.
The NFL Network will provide television coverage at 8:25 p.m. Eastern.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
Cincinnati could be without a pair of key defensive players at Philadelphia. Rookie CB Dre Kirkpatrick is ‘questionable’ after sustaining a concussion two weeks ago, and starting DE Michael Johnson is also a question mark due to a foot injury.
In addition to Vick, Jackson and McCoy, the Eagles will also be without veteran TE Brent Celek (concussion) and DT Mike Patterson (pneumonia).
In addition to the Eagles, there are five more home underdogs on the Week 15 card: Bears (+3 vs. Green Bay), Ravens (+2.5 vs. Denver), Bills (+5 vs. Seahawks), Cowboys (+1.5 vs. Pittsburgh) and Cardinals (+6 vs. Detroit).
The Giants have won four in a row over Atlanta, including a 24-2 beatdown in last season’s playoffs. The Falcons can exact a small measure of revenge against the G-Men when they collide Sunday at the Ga. Dome. Mike Smith’s team is a 1½-point favorite.
Even with last week’s outright loss to Philadelphia, Tampa Bay maintains the NFL’s best spread record (9-3-1 ATS).
Despite suffering a torn ACL last December, Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson has rushed for an NFL-best 1,600 rushing yards. The league’s second-leading rusher is Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch, who is 334 yards behind Peterson.
Thursday Night Football: Bengals at Eagles
By Covers.com
Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles (+4, 45.5)
The Cincinnati Bengals let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers against one NFC East team this past weekend. The Bengals would like to prevent the same from happening again on Thursday when they visit the struggling Philadelphia Eagles. Cincinnati's bid to record its fifth straight victory and eighth overall was thwarted by Dallas on the final play. As a result, the Bengals remained two games shy of AFC North-leading Baltimore and a tiebreaker behind Pittsburgh for the final playoff berth in the conference.
Postseason discussion has long been tabled in Philadelphia, which snapped an eight-game losing skid with a 23-21 triumph over Tampa Bay this past weekend. Nick Foles gave the Eagles some confidence for the future by throwing for a rookie franchise-best 381 yards. The third-round pick also engineered the game-winning drive, which was capped by his 1-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin.
LINE: Cincinnati opened as a field-goal favorite in Philadelphia and has since been bet up as high as -4.5. The total opened at 46 and has dropped to 45.5.
WEATHER: The forecast is calling for clear skies and temperatures in the mid 30s. Winds will blow NW at 2 mph.
CONSENSUS: Sixty-five percent of Covers Consensus picks are on the Bengals. Fifty-two percent are picking the over.
ABOUT THE BENGALS (7-6, 6-6-1 ATS): Cincinnati stud WR A.J. Green had a pair of inexplicable drops en route to being held out of the end zone for the third time in as many games on Sunday. Prior to this drought, Green had scored in nine straight contests. The Bengals can't afford to dwell on Sunday's loss or look beyond the Eagles, although a visit to Pittsburgh (Dec. 23) and a home game versus Baltimore (Dec. 30) could go a long way in deciding if they make the playoffs.
ABOUT THE EAGLES (4-9, 3-9-1 ATS): Maclin is clearly impressed with Foles, who has just four starts under his belt. "You guys are seeing Nick Foles grow into a phenomenal quarterback right in front of your eyes," Maclin said. "I think the sky is the limit for him." Foles hasn't thrown an interception in the last 14 quarters, although the aggressive Bengals defense could pressure him into mistakes. Cincinnati leads the league with 42 sacks.
TRENDS:
* Bengals are 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings.
* Bengals are 1-7-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a SU loss.
* Eagles are 4-1 ATS in their last five Thursday games.
* Eagles are 7-19-1 ATS in their last 27 home games.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Although Bengals RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis failed to notch his fourth consecutive 100-yard game, he sits just 26 shy of his second straight 1,000-yard season.
2. Philadelphia TE Clay Harbor, who reeled in the first of two touchdown passes by Foles, will likely start on Thursday in place of the concussed Brent Celek.
3. The teams played to a 13-13 tie in their last encounter on Nov. 16, 2008. The game is likely best remembered for then-Eagles QB Donovan McNabb admitting that he didn't know an NFL contest could end in a tie.