Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Preview
First-place teams will square off Sunday afternoon as the Cincinnati Bengals (9-4, 1st in AFC North) take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7, 1st in NFC South). The Buccaneers will host this one at Raymond James Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 4:25 pm ET.
Last week, the Bengals were able to take down their intrastate rivals, the Cleveland Browns, 23-10. In the win, Joe Burrow threw for 239 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Ja’Marr Chase also had a big game, hauling in 119 yards on ten receptions and a score.
Tampa Bay is trying to bounce back from a disastrous game last week. They were roughed up by the San Francisco 49ers 35-7. Tom Brady threw for 253 yards and a touchdown, but he also had two interceptions in the defeat.
The Bengals are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -198 to win, while the Buccaneers’ moneyline sits at +166. The spread features Tampa Bay +3.5 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 44.5.
Bengals Look To Keep Rolling
After a slow start to the season, the Cincinnati Bengals have been one of the most electric teams in the league as of late, winning five games in a row. Thanks to the Raven’s loss on Saturday, they hold sole possession of first in the division and will look to cement that standing with a win Sunday.
The Bengals come in ranked sixth in the NFL, averaging 25.8 points per game (23 on the road). Their success is in large part due to quarterback Joe Burrow.
On the year, he has thrown for 3,685 yards, 27 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Burrow’s favorite targets to date have been Tee Higgins (861 yards, five touchdowns) and Ja’Marr Chase (821 yards and seven touchdowns).
On the ground, Joe Mixon leads the way for the Bengals. He has rushed 172 times for 701 yards and six touchdowns. He also has 43 receptions out of the backfield for 324 yards and another two scores.
Defensively, the Bengals rank 11th overall, allowing 20.4 points per game to opponents.
Buccaneers Thankful For Bad Division
The fact that Tampa Bay is first in their division speaks more about the weakness of the NFC South than the play of the Buccaneers. At just 6-7, they will look for some home-field advantage at Raymond James Stadium, where they are 4-3 on the season.
The ageless Tom Brady leads the offense from under center for Tampa Bay. He has thrown for 3,585 yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions this season.
Still, the Buccaneers’ offense has struggled with consistency as they rank 28th overall in scoring. They are currently averaging 17.2 points per game, with a bit higher mark at home, averaging 19.8 points per game.
Luckily, Tampa Bay’s defense has bailed the offense out at times. They currently rank ninth in the NFL, allowing 19.5 points per game to opponents.
Take Cincinnati To Win And Cover
There is no denying Tampa Bay plays better at home, but they are a really hard team to trust right now. They are 0-5 in their last five against AFC North teams, and they are 1-9-1 against the spread in their last 11 games.
On the flip side, Cincinnati is undefeated both straight up and against the spread in their last five games. Furthermore, they are 10-2 against the spread in their last 12 road games.
Ride the momentum in this one and take Cincinnati to not only win but to cover as well.
Take the Bengals at -3.5 (-110).
