Bucs vs. Bengals Total Prediction
A pair of non-conference foes will square off in Cincinnati on Sunday when the Bengals host the Tampa Bay Bucs at 1:00 p.m. ET. With the total sitting in the mid-50s, will the over cash or is the under a better play?
Game Snapshot
263 Tampa Bay Bucs at 264 Cincinnati Bengals
1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, October 28
Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Bengals are 4.5-point favorites to beat the Chiefs. The total, meanwhile, sits at 54.5 points. As of this writing, 65% of the public betting tickets are on the Bengals to cover the point spread.
Tampa Bay Bucs
Ronald Jones handled the “majority” of the first-team reps at Wednesday’s practice. Peyton Barber didn’t practice with an undisclosed injury. That left Jones and Shaun Wilson along with special-teamer and pass-pro specialist Jacquizz Rodgers. If Barber is unable to play Sunday, Jones would enter the RB3/FLEX mix, but the Bucs’ way to move the ball is obviously through the air as one of the most pass-heavy teams in the league. It’s a situation to monitor.
Cincinnati Bengals
Andy Dalton completed 15-of-29 passes for 148 yards with a touchdown and an interception in Week 7 against Kansas City. The Bengals got off to a sluggish start, but Dalton managed a first-quarter touchdown to C.J. Uzomah. He telegraphed a pick-six on the first drive of second half and couldn’t get anything going after that. It’s one of the worst starts of the season for Dalton, who’s had multiple TDs in 5-of-7 games. Dalton has a rebound matchup with the Bucs in Week 8.
NFL Betting Trends
Tampa Bay
The over is 6-1 in the Bucs’ last seven games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
Cincinnati
The under is 21-8-1 in the Bengals’ last 30 games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous contest.
Prediction
The Bucs played well defensively last week versus the Browns but their offense had a couple of turnovers that allowed Cleveland to get back into the game late. Still, this is not a good Tampa Bay defense and now that Dalton isn’t playing against top competition on prime time, he should go back to excelling (subtle shot, I know). The over is 6-1 in the Bucs’ last seven games overall, is 6-1 in their last seven road games and is 23-10 in the Bengals’ last 33 games after scoring less than 15 points in their previous contest.
NFL Week 8 Predictions: Bucs/Bengals over 54.5