The Cincinnati Bengals (9-4) travel south to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Bengals vs. Buccaneers odds, and make our expert NFL picks and predictions.
The Bengals have positioned themselves in a battle for the top of the AFC North thanks to their current 5-game win streak. Last week, the Bengals beat the Browns 23-10, the 1st time QB Joe Burrow had beaten Cleveland in 5 tries. He threw for 239 yards and 2 TDs and an INT. With both WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) and Tyler Boyd (finger) exiting the game early, Burrow relied on WR Ja’Marr Chase to carry the load. Chase had 10 receptions for 119 yards and a TD.
On the defensive side of the ball, it was revealed postgame that DE Trey Hendrickson suffered a broken wrist in the 3rd quarter and played the entire 4th quarter with it. Hendrickson and the rest of the Cincinnati defense held Cleveland to just 71 yards on the ground.
The Buccaneers were dismantled last Sunday in a 35-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. QB Tom Brady attempted 55 passes, completing 34 of them, for 253 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs. Tampa Bay’s top receiver was WR Chris Godwin, who had 5 receptions for 54 yards. On the ground, RB Rachaad White carried the ball 13 times for 56 yards while RB Leonard Fournette only touched the ball 4 times for 13 yards.
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Bengals at Buccaneers odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:08 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Bengals -190 (bet $190 to win $100) | Buccaneers +160 (bet $100 to win $160)
- Against the spread (ATS): Bengals -3.5 (-110) | Buccaneers +3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 45.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Bengals at Buccaneers key injuries
Bengals
- WR Tyler Boyd (finger) questionable
- DE Trey Hendrickson (wrist) out
- WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) questionable
- CB Mike Hilton (knee) out
- TE Hayden Hurst (calf) out
Buccaneers
- WR Julio Jones (knee) questionable
- LB Carl Nassib (pectoral) out
- NT Vita Vea (calf) out
- S Antoine Winfield Jr. (ankle) questionable
- OT Tristan Wirfs (ankle) questionable
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Bengals at Buccaneers picks and predictions
Prediction
Bengals 27, Buccaneers 13
Moneyline
AVOID.
Odds of (-190) do not present enough return on investment to make the moneyline bet worth it. Similarly, the Bucs, despite having Brady, haven’t played well enough to back with their plus-money odds.
Against the spread
BET BENGALS -3.5 (-110).
Last week, the Buccaneers gave up 209 total rushing yards. This week they will face a dual-threat backfield with RBs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. Those two, along with Burrow and his receiver threats, will prove to be too much for a struggling Tampa Bay team.
The trends point towards the Bengals’ ATS as well. Cincinnati is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games in December and 8-1 ATS in their last 8 games played on grass.
The Buccaneers are 0-7-1 in their last 8 games following an ATS loss, 0-5-1 in their last 6 games following a straight-up loss, 0-10-1 in their last 11 games on grass, and 1-9-1 in their last 11 games overall.
Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 45.5 (-110).
Cincinnati’s O/U record is 4-8-1 this season while Tampa Bay’s is 3-10 for a combined total of 7-18-1.
The Buccaneers have only scored 21 or more points 2 times in the past 6 weeks and last week they only put up 7. Of course, anything can happen, but the most likely scenario is the Bengals jump out to an early lead and lean on Mixon and Perine to control the clock.
The Under is 3-0 in Cincinnati’s last 3 games and 4-1 in Tampa Bay’s last 5.
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