The Cincinnati Bengals play the Denver Broncos this week in a game that will feature the NFL’s third-leading receiver, Demaryius Thomas (1,389 yards, 11 TDs). With this week’s game, Cincinnati (9-4-1) has the chance to maintain their recent level of success. They have won four of their last five. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday and can be seen on NBC.
In last week’s game, Cincinnati easily got past Browns 30-0. Jeremy Hill had a huge game on the ground in the win, rushing for 148 yards and two TDs on 25 attempts. Denver managed to get the win as well, defeating San Diego 22-10. Thomas had a great game for the Broncos, recording six catches for 123 yards and one TD.
The Bengals, a three-point underdog, will be looking to hold down their home field when Denver comes to town. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 48 points. Sitting at 9-4-1 Straight Up (SU) and 7-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS), the Bengals will look to improve as they head into Week 16. Over their last five games, the Bengals have records of 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS. Cincinnati has kept their running game going like a well oiled machine lately, averaging 153.4 rushing yards during its last five matchups. The Bengals defense has stepped up its play in the past five games as well. They’ve allowed 15 points during that stretch, down from their season average of 20.6. The Cincinnati defense has played at another level during those games as well. Its given up only 298 total yards per game during that span. The Broncos need to put emphasis on preparing for Cincinnati’s sneaky defense. They currently have the fourth-most interceptions with 1.3 per home game. The Bengals hope to continue the trend of torching Denver’s defense during the second quarter, when they allow 8.1 points per game. On average, the Broncos earn 8.1 flags each game, one of the worst rates in the league. Such errors could be beneficial for the Bengals if they persist into this week’s game.
On the other side, the Broncos head into Week 16 with records of 7-7 ATS and 11-3 SU. In the previous five games, Denver has a record of 4-1 SU and 2-3 ATS. Odds are Denver will continue to rely on its passing attack, where its 295.4 passing yards per road game ranks third in the league. Shifting to the other side of the ball, the Denver defense can dominate if they take advantage of some favorable matchups. The Bengals are matching up with Denver’s defense at an inopportune time. Over the last five games, Denver’s opponents have only averaged 79.8 yards on the ground. The Broncos could take advantage of Cincinnati’s reputation to run out of gas late in games. They are 29th in the NFL in fourth-quarter points allowed with 8.1. The Broncos should have no trouble keeping Cincinnati’s offense off the field. This season, the Bengals have had an average time of possession of 30:07 per game, ranking them 20th in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – DEN, ATS Winner – DEN, O/U – Under
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Denver’s last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games.
Denver is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
Cincinnati is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
Denver is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games on the road.
Cincinnati is 12-4-1 ATS in its last 17 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Denver’s last 9 games on the road.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cincinnati’s last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Denver’s last 9 games when playing Cincinnati.
Cincinnati 13-3-1 SU in its last 17 games at home.
Denver is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing Cincinnati.
Cincinnati is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Denver is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati.
Cincinnati is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games when playing Denver.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cincinnati’s last 9 games when playing Denver.
Cincinnati is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Denver.
Denver is 10-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Cincinnati is 8-1-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Denver is 10-0 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Cincinnati is 9-1 SU when leading after three quarters.
This season, Denver is undefeated (7-0 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, and only 1-3 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
This season, Cincinnati is only 2-3-1 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
According to overall NFL pass rankings, Denver is rated higher on both sides of the ball. Its fourth-ranked offensive passing game will face the 11th-ranked pass defense of Cincinnati, while its 17th-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 23rd-ranked aerial attack of the Bengals.
Denver is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 16th-ranked rushing attack will face the 24th-ranked run defense of Cincinnati, while its second-ranked run defense will look to contain the sixth-ranked rushing game of the Bengals.
Cincinnati has given up 23.9 points per game at home this year, which is ranked only 22nd in the league. Denver has scored 24.4 points per contest on the road (ranked seventh overall).
