The Tennessee Titans look to rebound against the Cincinnati Bengals and enter this NFL game as 5.5-point favorites (1pm ET Sunday; TV: Live on CBS).
The Titans are coming off a devastating defeat at the hands of the undefeated Steelers. They had an opportunity at the end to tie the game with a field goal to go to overtime, but Stephen Gostkowski ultimately missed a 45-yard field goal to lose 27-24.
The Bengals are coming off another loss, but a game in which they covered the spread after the Browns missed the extra point after the game-winning touchdown. The Bengals are now 5-2 against the spread, which is the second-best record in the NFL.
Perfect Bounce Back Spot for Tennessee
These teams enter Sunday in very different spots. The Titans lead their division with a 5-2 record and the Bengals are in last place at 1-5-1. The Bengals may have only one win on the season, but they fight and always seem to be in games as seen by their impressive record against the spread. This looks like a perfect spot for the Titans to bounce back and add another loss to the Bengals strong record against the spread.
The Titans offense will be too much for the Bengals to handle. They can attack you from the air and on the ground. The Titans enter Sunday ranked 6th in total yards per game (410.2), 16th in passing yards per game (256.2) and 5th in rushing yards per game (145.2).
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is having a career year. Tannehill has 1590 yards passing, 15 touchdowns to two interceptions, and a rating of 112.3. He currently has the fourth best rating in the NFL behind Wilson, Rodgers, and Carr.
The Titans have plenty of weapons to move the ball in the air and arguably the best running back in the league in Derrick Henry. Henry currently leads the NFL in rushing yards with 663 and is tied for first in rushing touchdowns with seven. Expect wide receiver AJ Brown and tight end Jonnu Smith to exploit a Bengals secondary that struggles against the pass. The Bengals rank 25th in passing yards allowed per game (261.4) and 28th in rushing yards allowed per game (133.7). I expect Derrick Henry to continue his career year with a big game on the ground on Sunday.
The Bengals also just traded one of their best defensive linemen Carlos Dunlap to the Seahawks. This won’t help a unit that struggles to get to the quarterback. The Bengals rank 26th averaging only 1.4 sacks per game. Dunlap had one of the team’s 10 sacks on the season. The lack of pass rush and a weak rushing defense should allow Tannehill to sit back and pick them apart through the air while Henry’s dominant presence on the ground opens up the play action passing attack.
The Bengals also struggle to take the ball away. They rank 23rd in the NFL with only 1.1 takeaways per game with only seven interceptions and zero fumble recoveries on the season. This should prove fruitful for the Titans quarterback who only has two interceptions so far.
Our Preview’s Tennessee Titans vs Cincinnati Bengals Predictions & Concluding NFL Game Betting Picks
USAbetting is going with the road favorite Titans at -5.5pts on the spread with the oddssetters’ betting lines at the United States’ internet bookmakers. We think this Titans offense will be entirely too much for the Bengals to handle. The Bengals have proven that they are able to score as well, but the Titans defense seemed to turn the corner in the second half against Pittsburgh. They only gave up three points after giving up 24 in the first half. We think they will ride this momentum and look to have a dominant performance after a tough loss. They should be able to keep rookie quarterback Joe Burrow in check and the Bengals may not be able to keep up with this explosive offense. Expect a strong game from Henry on the ground, which will allow them to control the clock and this should also open up a passing attack that has several weapons.
The Titans have enough weapons to exploit a weaker Bengals defense that gives up on average 27.7 points per game. The over is also an intriguing look but ultimately we feel most comfortable riding with the Titans -5.5pts and see this as a convincing 30-20 victory for Tennessee. So the conclusion of our preview’s Titans vs Bengals predictions is this one betting pick:
Alex Uplinger is a sports betting analyst, writer, podcast producer and an expert on NFL and college basketball. As well as his football previews for USA Betting, Alex produces and co-hosts an NFL show for Full Slate and a sports betting podcast on the Blue Wire Network.