National Football League

Bengals, Giants odds to make the NFL playoffs have shifted significantly

Published Oct. 3, 2023 2:08 p.m. ET

Few teams have underachieved more than the Bengals and Giants through the first four weeks of the season.

Coming off of playoff berths just last season — Cincy went to the AFC Championship Game in 2022 after losing in the Super Bowl in 2021 — both franchises sit at 1-3 through four weeks, and both have had multiple embarrassing defeats.

In Week 1, the Bengals lost 24-3 at Cleveland and fell 27-3 at Tennessee this past weekend. Meanwhile, the Giants were demolished at home in Week 1 by the Cowboys 40-0 before losing 30-12 at San Francisco in Week 3 and 24-3 at home against the Seahawks in Week 4.

Things don't appear to be looking up for New York in Week 5, as it faces the 3-1 Miami Dolphins on the road. At DraftKings Sportsbook, Miami is a heavy favorite going into that game at -11, and in Week 6, the Giants will travel to face Buffalo — the team that just dismantled the Dolphins this past week 48-20.

Chances are, the Giants will also be a heavy underdog in that matchup as well.

Before the season began, the Giants were +6600 to win the Super Bowl and +165 to make playoffs. As of Tuesday, New York is +900 Yes and -1800 No to make the playoffs, and its regular-season win total Over/Under sits at just 5.5, after winning nine games last season.

Is there a more underachieving team in the league right now than the Giants? The argument can be made that Cincinnati has been worse.

The Bengals' season might be off to an even more shocking start, considering their success over the last two seasons, where they've won 22 total games.

While their Over/Under is still at 8.5 games, their odds to make the playoffs are at +200 Yes and -250 No. The Bengals were +1100 to win the Super Bowl entering the season and -300 to make playoffs. Their odds of making the playoffs have shifted significantly.

Much of the Bengals' lack of success has been attributed to a calf injury that star quarterback Joe Burrow suffered in training camp, and after Sunday's loss, former Steelers and Jets offensive lineman Willie Colon questioned Cincy's decision to continue playing a compromised Burrow on Tuesday's edition of "The Carton Show."

"If you're the Cincinnati Bengals, if you don't care about the health of Joe Burrow, what do you care about then? … Why not protect him from himself and protect him for the future? I don't understand anything they're doing right now."

As for the Giants, they appear to have a quarterback issue as well, as Daniel Jones has yet to string together quality performances this season.

On the year, he has 765 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and six interceptions. His passer rating is the second-worst among NFL starters (69.7), trailing only Burrow (69.1)

Skip Bayless discussed Jones' form on Tuesday's "Undisputed."

"It looked like he lost a lot of poise and confidence in [Week 1 vs. Dallas]. They did bounce back the next week at Arizona, … but then they played at 49ers and got crushed, and then obviously [Monday night] was just a debacle of a disaster. … He looked deer in headlights the whole night. … He's got enough to work with, and yet he just stands back there and goes blind in the pocket."

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