The NFL season is starting, which means gambling and picking games is back!
Of course the Bengals aren’t going to be viewed as a top team early in the year considering their performance from last season. The national media and oddsmakers will mostly look at Cincinnati as a wild card without knowing how much Zac Taylor becoming the head coach will change things.
Odds
The Bengals are currently 9.5-point underdogs against the Seahawks, according to Bovada. This is the second-largest point spread for a Week 1 this season, so it’s safe to say the oddsmakers do not have much confidence in the Bengals to start the year.
We can probably chalk this up to them trying to entice people to put money on Cincinnati, and it doesn’t help that Seattle has won 10-straight home openers. There is plenty working against the Bengals to open the season in betters’ eyes.
Betting trends
- Cincinnati are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games.
- Cincinnati are 1-7 straight up in their last eight games.
- Cincinnati are 0-5 straight up in their last five games on the road.
- The total has gone over in four of Cincinnati’s last five games when playing on the road against Seattle.
- The total has gone over in four of Cincinnati’s last five games against an opponent in the NFC conference.
- Cincinnati are 6-1 straight up in their last seven games against an opponent in the NFC West division.
- Cincinnati are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games played in September.
- Seattle are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games.
- The total has gone over in eight of Seattle’s last nine games.
- Seattle are 6-2 straight up in their last eight games.
- The total has gone over in six of Seattle’s last seven games against Cincinnati.
- Seattle are 5-0 straight up in their last five games at home.
- The total has gone over in four of Seattle’s last five games when playing at home against Cincinnati.
- The total has gone over in nine of Seattle’s last 11 games against an opponent in the AFC conference.
- Seattle are 4-0-1 against the spread in their last five games against an opponent in the AFC North division.
- Seattle are 1-5-1 against the spread in their last seven games played in September.
- Seattle are 4-1 straight up in their last five games played on a Sunday.
Expert Predictions
- Fox Sports is predicting a 21.8 to 25.4 loss for the Bengals
- All 10 of ESPN’s analysts picked the Seahawks to defeat the Bengals.
- CBS Sports had two of their eight experts pick the Bengals to upset the Seahawks
- SB Nation unanimously selected the Seahawks to defeat the Bengals (except for Rosie the good dog)
- NFL Pick Watch, which takes into account picks from around the web, has the Seahawks receiving 100 percent of the picks.
Most of the national media are either uncertain about the Bengals, or they didn’t see the amount of personnel change necessary to have confidence in picking them over an established team like the Seahawks. If Cincinnati wants to change the perception of themselves on a national level, a win in Seattle would go a long way in changing that.