The playoff push officially begins. We're past the halfway point of the season, which has primarily featured a bunch of mediocre and bad teams. So, it's fitting then that Week 10 of Monday Night Football will be played between the Bengals and Giants.
If you asked both teams about their seasons -- and if both answered honestly -- they would admit that they've underperformed to this point.
The Bengals are coming off a season that only ended when Vontaze Burfict imploded in the postseason. And the Giants are coming off a super expensive offseason. Teams don't spend that kind of money to win somewhere down the line. They spend it to win in the short term.
Neither team has shown any kind of consistency this season. The Bengals, coming off their bye week, are 3-4-1 after a tie in London.
The Giants, meanwhile, are 5-3 after surviving a three-game losing streak. They're now on a three-game winning streak. Both teams trail the leaders in their divisions.
So, while this game isn't necessarily a "must win" for either side, it does take on extra importance. Right, Aaron?
#Packers quarteback Aaron Rodgers on if Sunday at #Titans is a must-win game: "I've never liked that term. World War II was a must-win." pic.twitter.com/XZJBhBJbMl
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) November 9, 2016
Anyway, let's get to the pick. Considering I wrote that the Bengals will make the playoffs the other day, it probably makes sense to pick them to beat the Giants. But I'm not going to do that. I still think the Bengals will make the playoffs, but the Giants are equipped to shut them down, though I'm guessing it'll be a close, high-scoring game that can go either way.
The pick: Giants 34, Bengals 31
Here are five stats you need to know about the game.
1. Tyler Eifert's return
Tyler Eifert did not get the same sort of coverage that Rob Gronkowski got when he missed the first few games of the season with an injury. On one level, that makes sense. He's not Gronk -- not on the field or off the field. But that doesn't mean Eifert didn't deserve the Gronk treatment. Because, while he's not on Gronk's level, he's awfully close. Especially in the red zone.
Conveniently enough, that's exactly what the Bengals need. The red zone, before Eifert came back from his injury, was the Bengals' worst nightmare. With Eifert back, it's their paradise.
Second half optimism for Bengals: Their red zone scoring (42.9%) was 29th in the league before Eifert returned. They went 4 for 4 last week.
— Joe Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) November 9, 2016
In Eifert's only full game of the season, he was targeted 12 times. He caught nine passes for 102 yards. He also caught a touchdown ... in the red zone.

A year ago, Eifert hauled in 13 touchdowns, 11 of which came in the red zone. So, he's incredibly important to a team that has had red zone issues.
Unfortunately for the Bengals, the Giants are equipped to handle Eifert. They have the league's best red zone defense.
The #Giants defense has been stepping up big-time inside the red zone! @newyorklottery STATS+ for #CINvsNYG >> https://t.co/kS86abdRs4pic.twitter.com/0cc5wiYBLX
— New York Giants (@Giants) November 12, 2016
This will be the matchup to watch.
2. A.J. Green has been unstoppable
OK, this one is simple. A.J. Green is incredible.
This season, Green has caught 59 passes for 896 yards and three touchdowns. That means he's on pace for 118 catches and 1,792 yards. Both of those would be career highs. And keep in mind that, from 2011-2015, Green caught the fifth-most passes and racked up the sixth-most yards among all receivers. Somehow, he found a way to get better. It's incredible.
Still, he might struggle -- to a certain extent -- Monday night.
3. The Giants' underrated pass defense
By yards, the Giants aren't good against the pass. They're giving up 277.4 passing yards per game -- the eighth-highest average in the NFL. But in their defense, they're also ranked 10th by Football Outsiders. That matters, because FO's metrics take context into account. Yards do not factor in context. An example: The Giants surrendered 291 passing yards to Case Keenum, but only gave up 10 points.
The Giants can stop the Bengals' pass attack. One reason why: Janoris Jenkins has been worth the investment so far.
He's Pro Football Focus' fifth-ranked cornerback. When quarterbacks have targeted him, they've generated a 54.7 passer rating. They've yet to throw a touchdown against Jenkins.
Now, to be fair, he hasn't faced a receiver like Green yet. But let's give the Giants credit: Signing Jenkins paid off.
4. The Giants' turnover woes
I feel good about my prediction, but Eli Manning might spoil it. He has thrown eight interceptions this season. His interception percentage, 2.6, is the ninth highest in the league.
According to STATS, the Giants have turned the ball over at least once in 17 consecutive games. That's the longest active streak.
5. Odell Beckham
According to Football Outsiders, the Bengals have the 24th-ranked passing defense. Bad news for them: The Giants like to throw the ball. Manning has thrown 306 passes this season -- the 11th most.
They also like to use three-receiver sets. They use 11 personnel (three receivers, one tight end, one back) on 94 percent of their snaps, per Pro Football Focus. The league average is 58 percent.
Of course, Odell Beckham is the centerpiece. In a so-called down season, Beckham ranks seventh in receiving yards (676) and has scored five touchdowns.
Look for Beckham to have a big game.