The Falcons (-6) are gearing up to greet the Cincinnati Bengals in Atlanta. This early afternoon game is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET and fans can watch the action on CBS.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Atlanta Falcons Betting Preview
Cincinnati is the road underdog in this game and is currently getting 6 points. The Bengals are also receiving +180 moneyline odds while the Falcons are -220. There will likely be some good in-game betting opportunities in this matchup, and oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 49 points.
The game’s O/U has moved up after initially being set at 48. The opening line has yet to change.
The Bengals are 2-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 1.0 unit so far in 2018. The team’s posted an Over-Under mark of 3-0. The Falcons have lost 1.4 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 1-2 ATS and have an O/U record of 2-1.
The Bengals have gone 2-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Falcons are 1-2 SU.
The Bengals will look to get back on track after a 31-21 defeat to Carolina last week. The passing attack could’ve been better as Andy Dalton completed 29-of-46 passes for 352 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. Giovani Bernard (61 yards on 12 rush attempts, one TD) provided the ground attack while Boyd (six receptions, 132 yards, one TD) and Eifert (six catches, 74 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Atlanta just fell 43-37 to New Orleans a week ago. Matt Ryan completed 26-of-35 passes for 374 yards and five touchdowns. Tevin Coleman (33 rushing yards on 15 attempts) led the running game while Calvin Ridley (seven receptions, 146 yards, three TDs) and Julio Jones (five catches, 96 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Cincinnati has run the ball on 34.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Atlanta has a rush percentage of 40.4 percent. The Bengals have run for 92 yards/game and have two scores on the ground this year. The Falcons are averaging 97 rushing yards per game and have three total rush TDs.
Judging by the early season results, it’s looking like the Bengals ought to have the advantage in all aspects of the ground game. Their backfield has generated 4.5 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 4.4 YPC to opponents. The Falcons have tallied 4.1 yards per carry and allowed 5.2 YPC to opponents.
The Bengals offense has logged 287 yards/contest through the air overall and has eight passing TDs so far. The Falcons have put up 299 pass yards per contest and have seven total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Cincinnati has allowed 124 rush yards and 282 pass yards per game. The Atlanta defense has allowed 287.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 125.7 yards per game to opposing runners. The Bengals are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.73 to opponents, while the Falcons have given up a 6.40 ANY/A.
Offensively, Dalton is up to 595 passing yards this season, and has completed 68 percent of his 74 attempts with four scores through the air and five interceptions. He’s got a 5.31 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.94 over the last two outings.
Matt Ryan has connected on 47-of-78 passes for 625 yards, five TDs and one INT for Atlanta. His ANY/A stands at 7.52 for the year and 11.00 over his last two outings.
Free NFL Pick: Cincinnati Bengals at Atlanta Falcons
SU Winner – Bengals, ATS Winner – Bengals, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
Cincinnati has averaged 4.2 yards per carry over its past two matchups.
Atlanta has averaged 4.0 yards per carry over its last two.
The Atlanta offense has lost zero fumbles this season while Cincinnati has lost one.
The Bengals offense has tallied one pass play of 40 or more yards, while the Falcons have put up three such plays.
Both teams have allowed one pass play of 40 or more yards. The Cincinnati defense has given up one pass play of 30+ yards while Atlanta has permitted two such plays.
The Cincinnati offense has created four rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Atlanta has created two such runs.
The Bengals defense has allowed one rushing play of 20 yards or more, while the Falcons have given up three such runs.
The Cincinnati D has sacked opposing QBs seven times this year. Atlanta has recorded five sacks.
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