A couple of teams that like to air it out, the Cincinnati Bengals (-6) are set to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paul Brown Stadium. FOX has the TV rights and this key early afternoon game is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals Betting Preview
In this Sunday game, Cincinnati has been projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 6 points. The Buccaneers are also receiving +180 moneyline odds while the Bengals are -220. It appears that there could be some decent live betting opportunities in this match, and oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 54 points.
The game’s O/U has swung upward after originally being set at 53.5. The opening line of -6 has not changed.
The Buccaneers have gained 2.4 units so far and are 2-4 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 5-1. The Bengals are up 1.0 unit this season. The team is 4-3 ATS and has an O/U record of 4-3.
The Buccaneers have gone 3-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Bengals are 4-3 SU.
The Bucs are coming off a 26-23 victory over Cleveland in Week 7. The passing attack left much to be desired as Jameis Winston completed 32 passes for 365 yards and two interceptions. Peyton Barber (30 yards on 11 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Winston (55 yards on 10 carries, one TD) mounted the ground attack in the win. Mike Evans (seven receptions, 107 yards) and Chris Godwin (five catches, 59 yards) shared the receiving duties.
Back in Week 7, Kansas City took care of this Cincinnati team by a score of 45-10. The Bengals defense let the Chiefs pass for 358 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 198 yards. Kareem Hunt had a solid showing in the win for Kansas City, posting 86 rushing yards and a score on 15 attempts, along with 55 yards and two touchdowns on five catches. For Cincinnati, Andy Dalton completed 15-of-29 passes for 148 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Joe Mixon (50 rushing yards on 13 attempts) spearheaded the ground game in the defeat as A.J. Green (seven receptions, 117 yards) and Cody Core (three catches, 30 yards) led the receiving attack.
Each squad has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Tampa Bay has run the ball on 37.1 percent of its offensive possessions while Cincinnati has a rush percentage of 35.1. The Buccaneers have produced 86 rush yards per game and have four scores via handoffs this year. The Bengals are putting up 86 rush yards per game and have five total rushing TDs.
It seems like the Bengals should own an advantage when it comes to applying pressure, as their offensive line has allowed just 14 sacks while their D-line has registered 15 sacks. The Buccaneers O-line has given up 15 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs just 14 times.
The Bucs offensive scheme has tallied an astonishing 377 yards per game in the air overall and has 16 passing TDs so far. The Bengals have recorded 266 pass yards per contest and have 15 total pass scores.
Defensively, Tampa Bay has allowed opponents to run for an average of 90 yards and pass for 342 yards per game. The Cincinnati defense has allowed 310.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 128.7 yards per game to opposing runners. The Bengals are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 6.98 to opposing QBs, while the Buccaneers have given up an ugly 9.27 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Winston has amassed 510 yards this season, and has connected on 48-of-72 attempts with one scores through the air and four interceptions. Winston’s got a 4.05 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 6.37 over the past two games.
For the home team, Andy Dalton has connected on 138-of-216 passes for 1,593 yards, 13 TDs and eight INTs. Dalton’s ANY/A stands at 6.15 for the season and 4.78 across his past two outings.
RELATED: Week 8 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals
SU Winner – Buccaneers, ATS Winner – Buccaneers, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Notes
Tampa Bay has averaged 4.2 yards per carry across its last three games and 4.5 over its last two.
Cincinnati has averaged 4.0 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.0 over its last two.
The Cincinnati offense has lost one fumble this season while Tampa Bay has lost four.
The Buccaneers offense has produced eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Bengals have put up one such play.
The Tampa Bay defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Cincinnati has given up five such plays.
The Tampa Bay offense has created three rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Cincinnati has created six such runs.
The Buccaneers defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Bengals have given up seven such runs.
The Cincinnati defense has tallied 15 sacks on the year while Tampa Bay has 14.
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