Bengals vs. Panthers Total Prediction
Non-conference foes will meet in Charlotte this Sunday when the Carolina Panthers host the Cincinnati Bengals at 1:00 p.m. ET. Will the two teams combine for enough points to push the score over the betting total?
Game Snapshot
463 Cincinnati Bengals at 464 Carolina Panthers
1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 23
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Panthers are 3-point favorites to beat the Bengals. The total, meanwhile, sits at 44 points. As of this writing, 55% of the public betting tickets are on the Rams to cover the point spread.
Cincinnati Bengals
Giovani Bernard (knee) was limited in Wednesday’s practice. Bernard should be fine for his No. 1 duties Week 3 against the Panthers, but it’s at least worth monitoring throughout the week. Mark Walton and newly-signed Thomas Rawls are the only other backs on the roster. Neither has played a snap nor been active for game days yet this season.
Carolina Panthers
Panthers coach Ron Rivera said the team “has to put more on D.J. Moore’s plate.” Moore has played just 17 snaps each of the first two games of the season, but he flashed with a 51-yard touchdown against Atlanta in which he made a few defenders miss on his way into the end zone. Cam Newton seems to like Jarius Wright, but Moore simply gives the offense more upside. He needs to be used more moving forward.
NFL Betting Trends
Cincinnati
The over is 4-0 in the Bengals’ last four games following a straight up win.
Carolina
The over is 7-3 in the Panthers’ last 10 games overall.
Prediction
Despite missing several pieces along their offensive line, the Panthers were still able to score 24 points on the road last week in Atlanta. Cam Newton proved that even without key weapon Greg Olsen, he could move the offense with big plays in the passing game, or work the field more methodically with Christian McCaffery. Meanwhile, the Bengals lost one of their biggest offensive weapons in Joe Mixon and Bernard is banged-up. This could force the Bengals to go with a more pass-happy game script, which should favor over bettors. I think the total has been set too low here.
NFL Week 3 Prediction: Bengals/Panthers over 44