Cincinnati Bengals vs. New England Patriots Preview
Where: Gillette Stadium – Foxborough, Massachusetts
When: Sunday, October 16, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Cincinnati Bengals (+9) at New England Patriots (-9); total 47.0 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Writer’s Pick: New England Patriots (-9)
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Betting on the Cincinnati Bengals (+9)
The Cincinnati Bengals (2-3, 1-3-1 ATS) aren’t playing like the AFC contenders many expected them to be heading into the season. The Bengals were systematically ripped to shreds by the Dallas Cowboys on both sides of the ball in a 28-14 road loss on Sunday. Cincy is now 0-2-1 ATS on the road this season.
Don’t let the 14 garbage-time points fool you. Cincinnati’s offense simply couldn’t get anything going for three quarters. On the other side, the Bengals’ defensive front was gashed repeatedly by the Cowboys’ vaunted running game.
The Cincy offensive line has just been atrocious this season. It’s been unable to protect Andy Dalton, and has also failed to establish a consistent running game. As a result, the Bengals have been incapable of doing what they did last season, which was to constantly keep the chains moving. They were 31st in the NFL in third-down percentage heading into Week 5 at 27.8 percent.
There’s not much to like about the Bengals offense at the moment. But despite getting dominated on the ground by a very good Dallas running game, this is still a pretty decent Bengals defense that can give Brady a much stiffer test than the Browns D. The pass rush led by Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins is still formidable, and the Patriots O-line is arguably the weakest part of the team.
Betting on the New England Patriots (-9)
Uh oh. Tom Brady’s back and he means business. The Pats QB torched the poor Cleveland Browns for 406 yards and three touchdowns to lead New England to a 33-13 win on his return from a four-game suspension. After going 3-1 without Brady, the Pats are now 4-1 (SU and ATS) on the season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Rob Gronkowski finally got going with Brady back at the helm. Gronk had five catches for 109 yards. The Pats’ other receiving weapons also exploded in Brady’s first game back. Chris Hogan had four catches for a team-high 114 yards, while Martellus Bennett had six catches, three for touchdowns. All in all, five Pats had at least four receptions as Brady spread the love.
After suffering a 16-0 loss to the Bills, the Pats probably aren’t going to get shut out – or beaten – in back-to-back home games, not with No. 12 back behind center. New England is 14-1 (9-3-3 ATS) in its last 15 home games with Brady starting at quarterback.
The Pats offense should be back to firing on all cylinders, but the New England defense (14.8 points allowed per game) could be just as dominant. The Pats have been so good at taking away what opponents do well, and now face a struggling Bengals offense that just hasn’t been able to do anything well apart from chucking it up to AJ Green.
Writer’s Prediction
Brady showed no signs of rust against the Browns, and a raucous home crowd should only spur him on against Cincy. The Pats (-9) run out big winners, 35-14.
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