NFL Divisional Round: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills Betting Preview
NFL Divisional Round: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills Betting Preview
Sunday’s NFL Divisional Round action gets kicked off with an AFC showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals (13-4) and the Buffalo Bills (14-3). This game will be played at Highmark Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 pm ET.
These two teams started a game in Week 17, but the game was postponed and then eventually canceled after Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field. Now, these two will square off with a trip to the AFC championship on the line.
In the Wild Card round, the Bengals were able to squeak by the Baltimore Ravens 24-17. In the win, Joe Burrow threw for 209 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a touchdown as well.
As for the Bills, they were able to hold off the Miami Dolphins 34-31 last weekend. Josh Allen threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns in the win, but he also had two picks. Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis combined for 227 yards receiving in the victory.
The Bills are the favorites in this one. They are -240 to win, while the Bengals’ moneyline sits at +198. The spread features Cincinnati as 5.5-point underdogs (-108), and the over/under for total points is 49.5.
Bengals Look To Stay Hot
Cincinnati has been one of the hottest teams in all of football to end the season. They have won eight in a row, most of any AFC team, and trailing only the 49ers for the longest active win streak in the NFL.
Their win streak will certainly be tested on Sunday as they face off with a dominant Bills team. Cincinnati will hope that their seventh-ranked offense, which has averaged 26 points per game, will be up for the task.
Leading the offense is quarterback Joe Burrow. During the regular season, he threw for 4,475 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 16 games.
Burrow has a trio of capable receivers in Ja’Marr Chase (1,046 yards, nine touchdowns), Tee Higgins (1,029 yards, seven touchdowns), and Tyler Boyd (762 yards, five touchdowns).
On the ground, Joe Mixon has led the way, rushing for 814 yards and seven touchdowns. He also has 441 receiving yards and an additional two scores through the air.
The Bengals rank sixth in scoring defense, allowing opponents 19.9 points per game.
Bills Hope To Continue Home Domination
Like Cincinnati, the Bills have finished the season off strong, currently sitting on a seven-game winning streak. They also have the advantage of playing at home in this one, where they are 7-1 on the season.
Defensively, the Bills have dominated this season. They rank third overall, allowing opponents an average of 18.6 points per game (19.4 at home).
The regular season leaders on defense include Tremaine Edmunds (102 tackles), Von Miller and Greg Rousseau (eight sacks each), and Jordan Poyer (four interceptions).
Offensively, Josh Allen leads a unit that ranks second overall, averaging 28.8 points per game (32.1 at home). Allen threw for 4,283 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions during the regular season.
Allen was also the second-leading rusher for the Bills. He rushed 124 times for 762 yards and another seven scores.
Take The Bengals And The Points
Looking at the trends, the Bengals are 12-3 against the spread in their last 15 games, although they are just 5-11 against the spread in their last 16 games against Buffalo.
As for the Bills, they are 7-2 in their last nine games at home against the Bengals, and they are 5-0 overall in their last five home contests.
This one pits two teams that are really solid on both sides of the ball. With the Bills holding home-field advantage, don’t be surprised if that is enough to help them to a victory in this one.
Still, expect this one to be close throughout, so taking the points might be the best play here. In this case, that means taking Cincinnati +5.5 (-108).
