Betting Matchup Preview
Game Details
- Who: Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- When: Sunday, Dec. 18 (Week 15)
- Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
- Where: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay, FL)
Betting Odds Summary
- Spread: Bengals -3.5 (-110), Buccaneers +3.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Bengals (-195), Buccaneers (+165)
- Total: Over/Under 45 (-110/-110)
Note: Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook are current at the time of writing and subject to change.
The Cincinnati Bengals will look to stay hot on the road in Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers. The Bengals are 9-4 on the season, have won seven of their past eight games and are tied for first place in the AFC North. The Baltimore Ravens currently hold the tiebreaker over the Bengals, but there is no denying Cincinnati is the stronger team.
Joe Burrow is turning into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL before our very eyes. The third-year signal-caller has already thrown for 3,685 yards, which is third in the league. Burrow’s rise has been accompanied by better play out of his offensive line. If the Bengals can give Burrow time, he will pick apart any defense.
Cincinnati is better than Tampa Bay in numerous aspects of the game. However, the Buccaneers are still respected because of their quarterback, Tom Brady. Brady is fifth in the NFL in passing yards with 3,585, but this is mainly because his team has not had success on the ground.
Tampa Bay hasn’t been very efficient in all three phases, resulting in a 6-7 record. The team’s defense is the highlight of the season, but the unit hasn’t been sensational as of late. They just gave up 35 points to the San Francisco 49ers in Brock Purdy’s first career start. For the Bucs to be competitive on Sunday, they must score points, although finding the end zone hasn’t been easy.
Spread, Moneyline, Total: Bengals vs. Buccaneers
The Buccaneers will be home underdogs on Sunday, which is no surprise. The Bengals can score, which is one way to dominate Tampa Bay.
Cincy is favored by 3.5 points on the spread, which isn’t an ideal number to play. Three points often decide football games because that’s how much a field goal is worth, so the Bengals must win by at least four points to cover.
As we said, Cincinnati is the better football team, so it’s best to lay points in this case. The Bengals have been printing money for spread bettors in 2022 with a 10-3 record. On the other hand, the Buccaneers haven’t covered at home once this year and are the worst team in the NFL against the spread at 3-9-1.
The moneyline market isn’t a fair play based on the odds. Cincinnati is -195, so a bettor must risk $195 to win $100. This is a heavy risk to win approximately half of the stake.
Tampa Bay is +165, and the only reason this market is attractive is because the Buccaneers need to win to stay in first place in their division. It’s always tough to bet against Brady, especially after some of the comebacks we’ve seen him lead this year, but the clever play is to lay the points with Burrow and the Bengals, as they’re a much better team.
The total is set at 45 points, and we’re leaning under. These teams are a combined 18-7-1 against the under in 2022. Out of the three traditional markets, this is the most viable wager. Tampa’s defense should help cool off Cincinnati, while the Buccaneers’ offense will likely struggle against a surprisingly strong Bengals unit.
Player Prop Bets: Bengals vs. Buccaneers
The player prop bet we’ve identified is for Joe Mixon to rush for over 52.5 yards (-115). Mixon is a talented back that delivers when Zac Taylor sticks to the run, hitting this total in two of his last three games.
The Buccaneers were obliterated by Christian McCaffrey last Sunday, so the same is likely with Mixon if Cincinnati commits to the ground game. With how Tampa Bay’s offense has played, the Bengals shouldn’t have to throw consistently to win.
Same-Game Parlay
Our same-game parlay for Bengals vs. Buccaneers consists of the following legs:
- Cincinnati Bengals -3.5 (-110)
- Under 47.5 Alternate Total (-145)
- Joe Mixon Over 59.5 Rushing Yards (+105)
- Leonard Fournette Over 19.5 Receiving Yards (-165)
The Bengals shouldn’t have trouble covering the spread on Sunday. The Buccaneers have trouble scoring, and they’ve had significant issues covering the spread this season. Cincinnati has been lucrative in this market, so don’t try to fix something that isn’t broken.
Additionally, both teams have been great with under bets, so we’re also taking an alternate total of 47.5. We added a few points to increase our security within the parlay.
For our two-player prop legs, it’s reasonable to go over 59.5 rushing yards for Mixon (as mentioned above) and over 19.5 receiving yards for Leonard Fournette, who has gone over this total in four of his last five games.
This parlay gives us +750 odds, so a winning $100 wager would return $750 in profits along with your original bet back.
