AFC Wild Card - Jets at Bengals NFL Picks and Odds

The New York Jets were as impressive as they could be last week in a 37-0 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals. Now they get a rematch against the Bengals, this time in Cincinnati as the AFC Wild Card playoffs begin on Saturday at 1:30pm EST on NBC. The Bengals rested a lot of starters last week in a meaningless game so the Jets should face a much different team in NFL odds this time around. "We went into the game knowing (the rematch) was one of the possibilities," Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis said. "Based upon that, I told the coordinators how I wanted to do things, and we based the game plan on that."

Cincinnati is a 2.5-point favorite in NFL picks with a total of 34 at online sportsbooks. The Bengals will try and prove in the AFC wild card game that last week's loss in NFL odds was a fluke but it might not be easy against the New York defense that led the league in fewest points allowed this season. Cincinnati will look to run the ball with Cedric Benson and slow down the New York running game. Benson had a career-high 1,251 yards this season. "It starts with No. 32 and that's how it will go on Saturday," Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco said. The Bengals have had their trouble on offense this season, ranking 24th in the league. "There have been ups and downs for this team," Ochocinco said. "Our offense has struggled all season long, but we've found ways to win."

New York is going to try and run the ball in this AFC wild card game, avoid mistakes and play defense. It is a sound strategy that works in the playoffs. "We're trying to win the thing," New York head coach Rex Ryan said. "That's our goal. To get to this point and not have that as your ultimate goal, then I don't think you're going to be successful. I think you have to visualize yourself being successful and then try to go out and make it happen." Heading into Saturday's AFC wild card game, the Jets are 7-1 all-time against Cincinnati. New York is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Jets are 6-2 ATS in NFL picks for their last 8 games as an underdog. The Bengals are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games as a home favorite. The Bengals are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between the Jets and Bengals. The Over is 5-1-1 in NFL odds the Jets last 7 vs. the AFC. The Under is 9-0 in the Bengals last 9 games as a home favorite.

Whitmore's NFL Picks: According to the Bengals, last week's game didn't mean to much but it definitely showed that the Jets will be taking this AFC wild card game seriously. However, New York is 7-1 straight up for their last eight against the Bengals. My AFC Wild Card NFL pick will be to take Jets on the road plus the points to the UNDER. Vegas odds at Caesars sportsbook have the Cincinnati Bengals -2.5 favorites against the New York Jets with a betting total of 34.