Media by Associated Press – Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (85) celebrates after carrying the ball during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Emilee Chinn)
The Cincinnati Bengals have started to show some of the form the team demonstrated by making a run to the Super Bowl last season. The Bengals have won two straight and are now on the edge of the playoff picture in the AFC. What Cinncinati has to do is start winning games within the AFC and the division.
The Bengals are 0-2 against AFC North opponents, including an embarrassing season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland has been having a rough go of things this season while it waits for Deshaun Watson to return from suspension.
Here are three bets worth wagering on for their Monday night meeting.
Cincinnati -3
The Bengals will be adjusting to life without star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase but still, have plenty of pop at wide receiver with Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.
Cincinnati also has Joe Burrow under center and the potential for a strong running game with Joe Mixon. The Bengals have been on a strong run covering the spread.
Cincinnati has covered the spread in five straight games and is 5-2 against the spread. The Bengals are fifth in the league with 278.7 passing yards. The Browns are 3-4 against the spread and are 26th in the league in points allowed, giving up 26.6 per game.
Cleveland is still trying to figure out a way to finish games. The Browns are 2-5 this season but have been snake-bitten.
Of Cleveland’s five losses, four of them have come by three points or less. The Browns would like to try and pick up a victory before they head into their bye week.
Over 45 points
Cleveland and Cincinnati both have excellent offenses capable of putting up points. The Browns’ offense is built around the running ability of tailback Nick Chubb, who is first in the league with 740 rushing yards and eight rushing scores. With both teams averaging over 20 yards per game, both teams will look to force the issues on offense.
The Browns will struggle to stop Cincinnati’s passing game, even with Chase on the sideline. Cleveland’s offense has shown it is competent enough to put up points against most other teams.
Tee Higgins to score a touchdown
Higgins will need to play a larger role in the passing game this week. Fortunately for Cincinnati, Higgins has proven throughout his career he is capable of carrying a large workload.
So far this season, Higgens has hauled in 44 catches for 455 yards and two touchdowns. He has had three games with 90 or more receiving yards.
Higgins is in his third season and has caught six touchdown passes apiece during his first two seasons. Higgins also has finished with 900 or more receiving yards during his first two years and is on pace to reach that mark again this season.
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