The Oakland Raiders (+3) are set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals (-3) at Paul Brown Stadium. The opening kickoff for this game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET and CBS will showcase the action.
Oakland Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals Betting Preview
In this Sunday AFC game, Cincinnati is tabbed as the favorite and is currently giving up 3 points. The Raiders are also receiving +130 moneyline odds while the Bengals are -150. Multiple decent in-game betting opportunities could be unveiled during the matchup, and oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 46.5 points.
The line opened at -4. The game’s total hasn’t moved after it was set initially at 46.5.
The Raiders are down 4.3 units this season and 5-8 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 6-7. The Bengals have lost 2.1 units this year. The team is 6-7 ATS and the over’s hit in eight of its games.
The Raiders are 3-10 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Bengals are 5-8 SU.
The Raiders enter after a 24-21 victory over Pittsburgh last week. Derek Carr completed 25-of-34 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Doug Martin (only 32 rushing yards on 16 attempts, one TD) led the ground attack in the win while Jared Cook (seven receptions, 116 yards) and Jordy Nelson (six catches, 48 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Back in Week 14, the Chargers took care of this Cincinnati crew by a score of 26-21. The Bengals defense did its job in the loss, holding the Chargers to only 220 passing yards and 85 yards on the ground. Austin Ekeler had a good showing in the win, recording 66 rushing yards and a score on 15 attempts for Los Angeles. For Cincinnati, Jeff Driskel completed 18-of-27 passes for 170 yards and one touchdown. Joe Mixon had a monster statline. In addition to 111 yards on 26 rush attempts (and one TD), Mixon also reeled in five catches for 27 yards.
Oakland has run the ball on 40.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Cincinnati has a rush percentage of 37.2 percent. The Raiders have rushed for 101 yards per game and have seven touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Bengals are logging 99 rush yards per game and have 11 total rushing TDs.
The Raiders offense has averaged 265 yards in the air overall and has 18 passing TDs so far. The Bengals have produced 247 pass yards per game and have 24 total pass scores.
Defensively, Oakland should have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 145 rush yards and 253 pass yards per game. The Cincinnati defense has given up 283.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 148.1 yards per game to opposing runners. The Bengals are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 7.34 to opposing QBs, while the Raiders have given up an ugly 8.60 ANY/A.
Offensively, Carr has amassed 3,149 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 69 percent of his 418 attempts with 15 scores through the air and eight interceptions. He has a 6.27 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 8.48 over the last two outings.
Look for a balanced attack offensively from Oakland in this one. Jared Cook (725 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns this season), Jalen Richard (143 rush yards, 452 receiving yards) and Jordy Nelson (401 receiving yards, three TDs) have each played key roles lately.
Jeff Driskel has completed 41-of-63 passes for 409 yards, two TDs and zero INTs for Cincinnati. His ANY/A sits at 6.24 for the season and 4.90 over his past two outings.
We also expect the Cincinnati offense to spread things out this Sunday. Joe Mixon (784 rushing yards, six rush TDs, 270 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown this season), Tyler Boyd (893 receiving yards, six receiving TDs) and C.J. Uzomah (324 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) have combined for 452 total yards over the last two games.
RELATED: Week 15 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
NFL Prediction: Raiders at Bengals
SU Winner – Raiders, ATS Winner – Raiders, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Raiders offense has produced five pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Bengals have put up one such play.
The Oakland defense has allowed 12 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Cincinnati has given up eight such plays.
The Oakland offense has created six rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Cincinnati has created 12 such runs.
The Raiders defense has allowed 10 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Bengals have given up 12 such runs.
The Cincinnati defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 28 times this year. Oakland has produced just 11 sacks.
As a team, Oakland has produced 4.1 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.3 over its last two.
Cincinnati has averaged 5.1 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.6 over its past two.
Cincinnati has lost eight of its last nine games SU, with a three-point win over Tampa Bay on October 28th representing the one victory over that span.
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