The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a forgettable 2018 campaign and could be facing a long season ahead of them. Most people are writing Cincinnati out, but the narrative could change if the Bengals take down the Seattle Seahawks on the road this coming Sunday. The Seahawks are +3300 to win Super Bowl 54, while the Bengals are +3000 to win the AFC North.
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Betting Preview for the Cincinnati Bengals vs Seattle Seahawks NFL Regular Season Week 1 Game on September 8, 2019
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle
When: Sunday, September 8, 2019, 4:05 PM ET
Line: Cincinnati Bengals (+9.5) vs. Seattle Seahawks (-9.5) – view all 2019 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Cincinnati Bengals (0-0)
The Bengals are finally moving on from Marvin Lewis, whom they replaced with a young replacement in head coach Zac Taylor. Lewis may be gone, but the quarterback remains Andy Dalton, who only has two years remaining on his current deal. Last year, Dalton played just 11 games and passed for 2,566 yards and 21 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. Dalton will not have his reliable weapon in A.J. Green for at least the first week of the 2019 NFL season, with the wide receiver dealing with an ankle injury. With Green out, Tyler Boyd will assume the No. 1 receiver role, while running back Joe Mixon will have an increased responsibility on offense. Boyd had 1,028 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches on 76 receptions in 2018. Mixon, on the other hand, recorded 1,168 rushing yards and eight rushing scores. If John Ross could deliver on his promise, the Bengals could suddenly have an exciting offense.
The Bengals are 0-4 straight up (SU) in their last four road games but are 4-0 against the spread (ATS) in those contests.
Betting on the Seattle Seahawks (0-0)
News of Jadeveon Clowney’s trade to the Seahawks will still be fresh by the time the Seahawks welcome the Bengals at home in Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season. Clowney is a huge addition to the Seahawks’ defense that was 13th in 2018 with 21.8 points allowed and just 19th with 354.9 total yards given up per game. When he’s healthy, Clowney will bring a lot to the table for the Seahawks’ pass rush, which was 11th a year ago in sacks percentage (7.06%). Clowney had 18.5 sacks in his last two seasons with the Houston Texans. Before the Clowney deal, the Seahawks have also acquired veteran defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, who had four sacks in 2018. On offense, Russell Wilson will have a new top target in Tyler Lockett following the retirement of Doug Baldwin over the offseason. The Seahawks also drafted DK Metcalf, who is expected to play a significant role on offense right away. The Seahawks will likely still be run-heavy, though, with Chris Carson taking up the bulk of carries out in the backfield. Seattle was tops in the league in 2018 with a 47.56 rushing play percentage.
The Seahawks are 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Seahawks win, 23-21.
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