The Denver Broncos (-4.5) are flying east to take on the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. This early afternoon game starts at 1:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to CBS. These franchises faced off last year with the final result being a 20-17 victory for Cincinnati.
Betting Preview: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Denver Broncos
Cincinnati enters this AFC game as the underdog and is currently being given 4.5 points. The Broncos are also receiving -180 moneyline odds while the Bengals are +160. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 43.5 points, and if one squad can get out in front early, it’ll likely create a solid betting scenario in-game.
This game’s opening line was 4, while the total has not moved since it was set initially at 43.5.
The Broncos have gained 0.3 units so far and are 5-5-1 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 3-8.
The Bengals are down 1.1 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 5-6 ATS and eight of their games have gone over the total.
The Broncos are 5-6 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Bengals are also 5-6 SU.
Cincinnati comes into this matchup on a zero-game winning streak while Denver has lost zero in a row. The Broncos just got a 24-17 win over Pittsburgh in Week 12. Case Keenum completed just 15-of-28 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Phillip Lindsay (110 rushing yards on 14 attempts, one TD) led the ground attack while Emmanuel Sanders (seven receptions, 86 yards, one TD) and Matt LaCosse (three catches, 34 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
In Week 12, Cleveland knocked off this Cincinnati crew by a score of 35-20. The Bengals defensive secondary let the Browns air it out for 258 yards and four touchdowns. Nick Chubb had a productive outing, recording 84 rushing yards and a score on 28 attempts, along with 44 yards and a score on three catches for Cleveland. As a group, the Bengals collectively completed 27-of-46 passes for 255 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Jeff Driskel went 17-for-29 for 155 yards and one touchdown while Andy Dalton was 10-of-17 for 100 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Joe Mixon (89 yards on 14 rush attempts) spearheaded the running attack as Tyler Boyd (seven receptions, 85 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Denver has run the ball on 40.2 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Cincinnati has a rush percentage of 35.5 percent. The Broncos have produced 124.7 rush yards/game and have 14 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Bengals are putting up 93.5 rushing yards per game and have 10 total rush TDs.
The Broncos offensive scheme has logged 258.4 yards per game in the air overall and has 14 passing TDs so far. The Bengals have produced 255.0 pass yards per contest and have 22 total pass scores.
Denver appears to hold an edge in both areas of the defense. The team’s allowed opponents to rush for an average of 123.1 yards and throw for 285.5 yards per game. The Cincinnati D has allowed 301.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 147.5 yards per game on the ground. The Broncos are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.47 to opponents, while the Bengals have allowed a 7.37 ANY/A.
Offensively, Keenum is up to 2,597 passing yards this year, and has connected on 63 percent of his 358 attempts with 13 passing scores and 10 interceptions. He’s got a 5.78 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.92 over the last two games.
Phillip Lindsay (701 rushing yards, four rush TDs, one receiving touchdown on the year), Emmanuel Sanders (793 receiving yards, four receiving TDs) and Courtland Sutton (395 receiving yards, two TDs) have each played significant roles of late.
On the other sideline, Andy Dalton has completed 207-of-329 passes for 2,355 yards, 19 TDs and 11 INTs. Dalton’s ANY/A stands at 5.98 for the season and 5.96 over his past two games.
We also expect the Cincinnati offense to mix it up this Sunday. Joe Mixon (659 rushing yards, four rush TDs, 205 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown this season), Tyler Boyd (770 receiving yards, six receiving TDs) and C.J. Uzomah (246 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) have combined to account for 443 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns over the last couple of games.
Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals Betting Prediction
SU Winner: Broncos, ATS Winner: Bengals, O/U: Under
Betting Notes
- Both teams have lost two fumbles this season.
- The Denver defense has 33 sacks on the year while Cincinnati has just 24.
- As a team, Denver has produced 5.0 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.5 over its last two.
- Cincinnati has averaged 5.5 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.9 over its last two.
- Over its last three games, Cincinnati is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
- The O/U for Denver’s last game was set at 48. The under cashed in the team’s 24-17 win over Pittsburgh.
- Over its last three games, Denver is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- The Over/Under for Cincinnati’s previous match was set at 47. The over cashed in the 35-20 defeat to Cleveland.
- Cincinnati has lost six of its last seven games SU, with a three-point win over Tampa Bay on October 28th accounting for the only victory over that span.
