Bengals open as big favorites vs. Rams in Week 3

The Cincinnati Bengals get a bit of a long week after dropping to 0-2 with a loss against the Baltimore Ravens. They will be facing the Los Angeles Rams in Cincinnati for Monday Night Football.

The Bengals are opening at 6.5-point favorites against the Rams, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 46.5 points as well. It doesn’t seem like the oddsmakers expect a high-scoring affair, but they think Cincinnati’s offense must have shown enough at the end of the Baltimore game to think they have snapped out of this slump.

This is a rematch of the 2021 Super Bowl that the Bengals came up just short in. However, this Rams team is a far cry away from the one that won that ring. Cooper Kupp won’t be available, and the offensive line just isn’t as good as the one from two years ago.

That doesn’t mean the Bengals can take this Sean McVay-led team lightly. They still have Matthew Stafford at quarterback and Aaron Donald providing pressure on opposing quarterbacks. We have also seen Los Angeles wide receiver Puka Nacua step up in his first two games, grabbing at least 10 catches and 100 yards in each.

Cincinnati clearly has taken a minute to get on track, and one can question how healthy quarterback Joe Burrow is. They were at least able to make things close with the Ravens in Week 2 after a stinker Week 1. This team just shouldn’t be expecting an easy win here, even if the oddsmakers are leaning that way.