Bills vs Bengals Week 4 NFL Betting Preview & Predictions
Who would have ever guessed that the Buffalo Bills would start the season 3-0? In the early 1990’s this was a strong franchise, but for the last few years they have been bottom feeders. Chan Gailey is doing a great job of instilling confidence in this team.
Marvin Lewis and the Bengals won their season opener, but they have dropped two close contests in the last couple weeks.
Buffalo Bills (3-0) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (1-2)
Time/Date: 1:00 PM EST, October 2, 2011
Venue: Paul Brown Stadium
Broadcast: CBS
Bills vs. Bengals Gambling Odds from JustBet
Spread: Bills -3
Moneyline: Bills (-164) Bengals (+144)
Over/Under: 44
Can the Bills move to 4-0 or will the Bengals even their record at 2-2?
Ryan Fitzpatrick was the backup quarterback in Cincinnati for several years. He actually started for a while when Carson Palmer was hurt. At the time, Fitzpatrick was seen as nothing better than a mediocre backup. The times have certainly changed, and Fitzpatrick appears to be the leader this Buffalo offense needs right. He has thrown nine touchdowns and just three interceptions this year. Fred Jackson has 303 rushing yards in just three games. The offensive line has improved by leaps and bounds in the last year. Steve Johnson has quickly become the play maker the Bills need on the outside. It’s difficult to comprehend, but the Buffalo Bills lead the NFL in points per game at 37.7 points so far this season!
The Buffalo defense was arguably the worst in the NFL last season. This side of the ball clearly still has quite a bit of room for improvement, but they are much better than they were last season. Shawne Merriman has been solid at the linebacker spot, and Marcell Dareus looks like a star at the nose tackle position.
Andy Dalton looked great through his first two games as the starter for Cincinnati, but the rookie quarterback looked like a rookie last weekend. Dalton threw two fourth quarter interceptions that led to the 49ers 13-8 win over the Bengals. On the positive side, A.J. Green does look like a star in the making at the wide receiver spot for Cincinnati. Jermaine Gresham is off to a solid start to the season as well. Cedric Benson is appealing an NFL suspension, and he is expected to play in this one. Cincinnati will need to establish the run if they have a chance to win this game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Bengals defense performed admirably last week against San Francisco, but it still wasn’t quite enough. Cincinnati currently ranks third in the NFL in total defense, but this weekend will be a big test for this unit. The Bengals have faced Cleveland, Denver, and San Francisco; all teams with a below average offense so far this season. It has to be a bit concerning for Cincinnati that two of their three leading tacklers are in the secondary. The Bengals do have a very talented group of young linebackers, and that should help this defense quite a bit this season.
Who would have ever thought that the Bills would be a road favorite and be considered a possible “public trap” play? Many sites are showing 85 or 90% of the public on Buffalo, and I have to agree that is the correct side here. The Bills have too much offense for the Bengals to keep up.
Free NFL Pick: Bills -3
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