Bills vs Bengals Betting preview
On Monday night, the heavyweight AFC matchup between the Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals will wrap out Week 17 of the NFL season. At 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, coverage gets underway from Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.
Both the Bengals and the Bills have already locked up playoff berths. So neither of these squads is in a desperate situation. Nevertheless, with only two weeks remaining, the AFC’s top seed is still up for grabs. Buffalo, Kansas City, and Cincinnati all sitting within one game of one another heading into Week 17.
Cincinnati’s season got off to a somewhat rough start. Highlighted by Joe Burrow and company losing three of their first five games. But make no mistake, the Bengals have won nine of their last ten games. They have now won seven consecutive, making them perhaps the finest team in football since their early losing streak.
The Bengals were not the most popular choice to represent the conference in last year’s Super Bowl, but that shouldn’t have come as a surprise given that their offense was consistently a distant second to top contenders like Kansas City and Buffalo, and their defense was in the middle of the pack and allowed more than 22 points per game.
This Bengals team, however, is very different now because Cincinnati’s defense, which currently ranks in the top 10 in the league in most significant statistical categories this season, could set this team apart from the competition when combined with an offensive unit that can go head-to-head with the best of the best and is currently ranked sixth in scoring at 26.1 PPG on the season.
Things to Highlight
Despite their turnover problems, though, the Bills continue to rank among the best football teams. I have no issues with either of them being favorites to win this game or this year’s Super Bowl.
But to be really honest, I believe Cincinnati is now playing superior football, and it feels much better to support a team that genuinely takes care in its ball security. With just 17 turnovers this season, the Bengals are now sixth in the league, and a large portion of those came during their disastrous five-turnover performance against Pittsburgh back in Week 1.
Prediction:
As a result, I’ll take a chance on the Bengals as short home underdogs on Monday night. In a heavyweight battle where both teams have a puncher’s chance to win. Their respective in-game performance is likely to serve as the key differential between them.
Bengals ML is the pick by the Piggy
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