The undefeated Cincinnati Bengals (4-0) travel to meet the Seattle Seahawks (2-2) this week. Players to watch in this matchup are the NFL’s third-leading passer, Andy Dalton (1,187 yards, 9 TDs), and fourth-leading receiver, A.J. Green (417 yards, 3 TDs). It starts at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct 11 and can be seen on FOX.
Cincinnati notched a win over Kansas City 36-21 last week. Jeremy Hill had a good game on the ground in the win, gaining 40 yards and three TDs on nine carries. Seattle managed to get the win as well, barely getting past Detroit 13-10. Kam Chancellor led the way for the Seattle defense, totaling six tackles. Jermaine Kearse added 84 yards on two receptions.
Cincinnati is favored by a small two-point margin in its matchup against the Seahawks. The matchup currently has a 44-point Over/Under (O/U).
The Bengals are unbeatable this season, with a 4-0 record Straight Up (SU) as well as Against The Spread (ATS). The Bengals may capitalize on a weak Seahawks pass defense that allows a 67.9% completion percentage. Turning to the Bengals defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. The Cincinnati defense may be able to capitalize on the Seahawks’ poor passing game, which averages 9.6 yards per attempt. One of the keys to the game will be if the Bengals can take advantage of Seattle’s shaky pass protection, which ranks 31st in the league in sacks allowed with 4.5 per game.
Across the field, the Seahawks have a record of 1-3 ATS and 2-2 SU. Seattle can plan on throwing the ball regularly. Offenses have picked apart the pass defense of the Bengals, who allow a completion percentage of 69.5%, 29th in the league. Shifting to the other side of the ball, the Seattle defense can dominate if it takes advantage of some favorable matchups. The Seahawks are one of the best in the league at stopping their opponents’ rushing game, allowing their opposition 3.5 yards per rush. Avoiding fumbles will be crucial for the Bengals against Seattle’s defense, which has recovered the third-most fumbles on the season with 1.2 per game. With an average of 121.5 return yards per game (second-most in the league), Seattle has had a great deal of success with its special teams.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cin, ATS Winner – Sea, O/U – Under
Notes
Cincinnati is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
Cincinnati is 15-4-1 ATS in its last 20 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cincinnati’s last 8 games at home.
Cincinnati 16-3-1 SU in its last 20 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games when playing Seattle.
Cincinnati is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Seattle.
Seattle is 2-0 SU this season, when leading at the half. Cincinnati is 4-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
This season, Cincinnati is 3-0 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
The Cincinnati passing attack is ranked fourth in the league, compared to the fifth-ranked pass defense of Seattle.
Seattle has given up 30.5 points per game on the road, which is ranked only 25th in the league. Cincinnati has put up 30.0 points per game at home (ranked eighth overall).
