Bengals at the Saints

Cincinnati @ New Orleans NFL betting Pick and Preview

New Orleans was a profitable machine last year for NFL bettors, finishing 10-5 AGAINST THE spread despite an 8-8 record straight up. Fourth year coach Sean Payton knew that his team’s weakness was in its defense, which was one of four teams to not record a defensive touchdown last season. The Saints dumped cornerback Mike McKenzie and safety Josh Bullocks, but strengthened the secondary, signing cornerback Jabari Greer (Buffalo), safety Darren Sharper (Minnesota) and spending three early draft picks on defensive players. It appears that the Saints are ready to start playing some defense and stop trying to simply outscore opponents by putting up 30 points per game. On offense New Orleans parted ways with running back Deuce McAllister, who took a back seat to Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas last season.

Cincinnati’s horrendous 4-11-1 season (7-9 AGAINST THE SPREAD) was largely due to starting quarterback Carson Palmer’s season ending injury, which caused him to miss 12 games. The Bengals lost offensive linemen Levi Jones and Stacy Andrews as well as star wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh, but added several players who are expected to make an impact quickly: rookie offensive tackle Andre Smith, rookie tight end Chase Coffman, wide receiver Laveranues Coles, rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga, star safety Roy Williams and defensive tackle Tank Johnson. In short, it was a necessary move to strengthen a team that struggled on both sides of the ball last season.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis may find himself without a job if Cincinnati cannot put together a .500 season. Since 2001, the Bengals have finished with a winning record just once (11-6 in 2005). They travel to New Orleans as 3.5 point underdogs and hope to see that Palmer regains his 2007-like form. The new look Saints will show fans whether or not their defense will have improved from last season.

For our NFL football betting pick, take the Bengals and the points.