Bengals open as slight favorites at home against San Francisco 49ers

The Cincinnati Bengals were 3-point favorites when they hosted the Los Angeles Chargers. From the start, it felt like a trap game.

Scoring on a fourth down, the Chargers ran the score up early, leading by as much as 24-0. The Bengals scored 22 unanswered points, but a Joe Mixon fumble returned for a touchdown put an end to the comeback.

The Bengals went on to lose 41-22. The last seven games for Cincinnati have been interesting. They won two against the spread, lost two against the spread, won two against the spread, and are now on a one-game losing streak for bettors.

Continuing the trend, they’d basically have to lose to not cover against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14. They have opened as 1-point favorites via DraftKings. Given the home-field status, the Bengals and 49ers game is basically being considered a pick ‘em.

The 49ers also lost in Week 13, dropping a road game to the Seattle Seahawks. They’ll be in must-win mode, now 6-6 on the season. Prior to the loss, San Fran had covered in three straight games.

It will be telling games for Cincinnati, a team now 7-5. The 49ers have a strong pass defense and poor run defense, ranking 4th and 19th in the league respectively.

The Bengals should be able to run Joe Mixon, but that may only be if their offensive line is at full strength. Burrow’s pinky potentially being a lingering injury is something to also pay attention to before backing the Bengals.

With that in mind, the Bengals are 3-3 at home and will hopefully find a way to down the 49ers in Week 14.