What: Cincinnati at Atlanta, NFL preseason Week 3
When: Monday, 8 p.m.
WagerWeb.com line: Bengals -3 (38.5)
Preseason games are always a gamble, because you never know how long the starters will play, and whether they are interested in the result anyways (usually no). Should tonight's "Monday Night Football" tilt be a regular-season game, the Bengals would likely be 7-point favorites. The one good thing to remember about a team's third preseason game is that it usually is the one the starters play the most in out of all of the exhibition season. That would seem to bode well for NFL bettors looking to make money on Cincinnati, which clearly has superior talent on offense.
Look for Carson Palmer and much of the Bengals' high-powered first-team offense to play the majority of the first half. Rudi Johnson is having a good preseason in the Cincy backfield, and Palmer is his usual strong self. The only questions on the Cincy offense are finding a backup running back and the No. 3 receiver.
However, a few things point to a possible Atlanta upset, or at least a cover, in this game:
*This has been stated as the Falcons' most important game of the preseason by Coach Bobby Petrino. He will be playing his starters at least a series into the second half, as much of Atlanta's position battles are unsolved currently, unlike in Cincinnati. So, with Tuesday being cutdown day in the NFL, the Bengals may be playing more second- and third-teamers than the Falcons.
*Atlanta starting QB Joey Harrington will need all the snaps he can get to try and get acclimated to Petrino's offense. Add to that Cincinnati's defense being picked apart by Saints QB Drew Brees in the last game, and Atlanta's receivers looking stronger than expected, and we could see a high-scoring affair on "MNF".
*Let's not forget the impact that Michael Vick's plea agreement on Monday could have on this game. You know the Falcons are tired of hearing about their soon-to-be-former teammate and would love nothing better to bring a little good news to the city. It looks like it may be a long year in Atlanta on and off the field, so even an exhibition victory on national television may be motivation enough for the Falcons to pull out the home victory.
So the pick here is the Falcons to at least cover, but look for the over.
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