Giants-Bengals referee assignment could lead to shootout

The New York Giants (2-3) host the Cincinnati Bengals (1-4) at MetLife Stadium on Sunday Night Football in Week 6.

The crew of referee Carl Cheffers will officiate the game, which could lead to the teams playing a wide-open, high-scoring contest.

According to Sharp Football, in games Cheffers’ crew was on the field, the over has hit in all four games, averaging 53.5 total points. The O/U in Sunday’s game is currently 47.

In addition, since 2016, home teams are 82-53 on the moneyline (62%) with Cheffers officiating, including 3-1 in 2024.

Other things of note about Cheffers’ crew this year:

• The Carl Cheffers crew is averaging the fewest penalties per game through five weeks of the season with a slightly above-average 57% being called on the offense.
• The Bengals have consistently been one of the least penalized teams in the Zac Taylor/Joe Burrow era. That continues in the 2024 season. Discipline isn’t the issue for this team. It’s simply a lack of manpower on the defensive side of the ball.
• The Giants’ defense is a top-five unit at generating false starts and offensive holding penalties on opposing offenses. Only the Broncos defense can make the same claim after five weeks of the season.
• The Giants have been an above-average penalized offense early in the season. However, they have faced a gauntlet of defensive units in the early going. That includes the Browns and Seahawks on the road and the Cowboys and Vikings at home. The 2024 Bengals’ defense represents a huge dropoff in the level of defensive competition.
• The Bengals’ defense ranks below average at generating pressure and offensive penalties on opposing offenses.

Bengals games are averaging a league-high 57 combined points per game and according to BetMGM, 58 percent of the action is on the over.

The Bengals are 3.5-point favorites and the betting public is not wavering with 79 percent of the wagers on Cincinnati to cover.