The Bengals and Jets will look to get off the preseason snide this evening as they square off in a Sunday night battle in New York. Tonight's kickoff is scheduled for a 7:00pm ET kickoff at the New Meadowlands Stadium. Oddsmakers are favoring the Jets at 6.5 points against the spread; the Over/Under is set at 35.5 points. Bengals vs Jets odds at our NFL Odds page have Cincinnati listed as a +230 moneyline underdog.
The post Carson Palmer era 
did not get off to a good start for the Bengals as the club got drilled 34-3 by the Detroit Lions in last week's preseason opener. Cincinnati turned the ball over three times in the loss, which, along with the Lions first team defense, led to a meager 205 total yards of offense.
Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, Cincinnati's second round pick in April's draft, tossed an interception on his first NFL play; however, the TCU product looked more than capable after the early miscue. Dalton finished the game with a 54.6 passer rating after completing 11-of-15 passes for 69 yards.
There were some positives as well for Marvin Lewis' troops with the oft troubled Cedric Benson carrying the ball six times for 37 yards and rookie wideout A.J. Green, the fourth player selected in the 2011 draft, grabbing four passes in his NFL debut.
Those were not enough for offensive coordinator Jay Gruden to hang his hat on, though. Gruden is hopeful the team can perform a little better against Rex Ryan's vaunted New York defense.
"We started with a very low standard, so we have nowhere to go but up," Gruden told the ChillicotheGazette.com.
The Jets did not fare much better in their exhibition opener either, losing to the Texans 20-16 in Houston. Mark Sanchez looked good in limited action, completing 6-of-7 passes for 43 yards, but he failed to get the first team offense into the end zone. New York finished the game with 21 first downs and 310 total yards.
The aforementioned defense did play well, though, holding the Texans to 2-of-12 on third down and 221 yards. Houston, which controlled the ball just 23:56, did not have a single passer with a quarterback rating over 78 and the two players that carried the ball, Chris Ogbonnaya and Derrick Ward, combined for 42 yards on 19 carries (2.2 ypc).
Ryan will be looking for similar effort tonight, but most of the attention this evening will center on wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Burress, who has not played since 2008, will start tonight along with Santonio Holmes. The former Giant is looking forward to tonight's game, even if it doesn't really count.
"I'm just going to enjoy it and play with a smile on my face and have fun," Burress told NorthJersey.com. "It's a privilege to play in this business, play in this league. [I'll] just go out and make the best of it."
Bengals vs Jets Odds 2011 NFL Week 2 Preseason:
Cincinnati Bengals +6.5 (-110, Over 35.5 Points (-110), +230 (Moneyline)
New York Jets -6.5 (-110), Under 35.5 Points (-110), -270 (Moneyline)
