Betting Matchup Preview
Game Details
- Who: Carolina Panthers at Cincinnati Bengals
- When: Sunday, Nov. 6 (Week 9)
- Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Where: Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Betting Odds Summary
- Spread: Bengals -7.5 (+100), Panthers +7.5 (-120)
- Moneyline: Bengals (-330), Panthers (+275)
- Total: 42.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Note: Odds and lines come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook and are current at the time of writing and subject to change.
Looking ahead to Week 9 of the NFL season, we have the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers are coming off a devastating 37-34 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8. Carolina wide receiver D.J. Moore scored on a last-second touchdown but took his helmet off during the celebration, pushing the extra point back. Kicker Eddy Pineiro shanked it, sending the game to overtime, where the Falcons ultimately prevailed.
As for the Bengals, they’re coming off their worst game of the season after getting blown out by the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. It was their first game without Ja’Marr Chase (hip), and the offense struggled in his absence.
How does last week’s performance influence this game?
Spread, Moneyline, Total: Bengals vs. Panthers
Back at home for this one, the Bengals are 7.5-point favorites on the spread. This means they must win by at least eight points to win this bet.
The first inclination may be to take the home team, who are stronger on paper and are 5-3 against the spread this season. However, the Panthers are more playable here.
Schematically, Carolina’s offense is in a good spot. Without running back Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers have been able to throw the ball a bit more with P.J. Walker, which has rejuvenated Moore. This has also opened up the ground game for running back D’Onta Foreman, who had three touchdowns last week.
Meanwhile, the Bengals’ offense looked lost without Chase, failing to score against Cleveland until the fourth quarter. They’re missing that over-the-top deep threat that makes their passing attack so dangerous, limiting Joe Burrow to shorter throws.
Cincinnati is also without its best cornerback, Chidobe Awuzie, for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Considering the Bengals’ injuries, their new offensive approach and less time to rest and prepare for this game, the Panthers should be able to cover here.
Player Prop Bets: Bengals vs. Panthers
If you’re unsure where to wager when it comes to the point spread, moneyline or over/under, player prop bets are an excellent alternative. It’s similar to fantasy football in that you’re betting on the success of an individual player.
Below is a single-player prop bet with reasonable odds considering his situation this week.
- D.J. Moore Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+175)
As previously mentioned, Moore has been fantastic for the Panthers since the McCaffrey trade. Over the last two weeks, Moore has caught 13-of-21 targets for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He had 152 yards last week and has scored in back-to-back games.
Without Awuzie on defense to cover Moore, the Bengals will try to contain him with a mix of Eli Apple and rookie Cam Taylor-Britt.
Cornerback is always challenging for a rookie, given how much faster plays develop in the NFL compared to college. In extended action last week with the Awuzie injury, Taylor-Britt played 26 coverage snaps and allowed four receptions for 60 yards.
As for Apple, he’s allowed 19 receptions for 278 yards and a touchdown this year.
Moore is an excellent receiver downfield, and he’ll be the No. 1 option for the Panthers this week in a game where they’ll likely need to go pass-heavy if they fall behind on the road.
Take a chance on Moore in this one.
Same-Game Parlay: Bengals vs. Panthers
Are you feeling confident about multiple bets within this game? You can bet on all of them with a same-game parlay. With this betting strategy, you pick multiple individual bets (also known as “legs”) and combine them to get longer odds and higher payouts. However, this is a riskier wager as you need all legs to be correct to win.
Below is a four-leg SGP for this game that you can consider wagering.
- Panthers +7.5 (-115)
- Over 42.5 (-115)
- D.J. Moore Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+190)
- P.J. Walker Over 174.5 Passing Yards (-215)
We’ve already covered why we think the Panthers will cover +7.5 and Moore’s projected touchdown success, so let’s look at the other two legs.
Even without Chase, the Bengals still have plenty of playmakers on offense. Carolina’s defense isn’t poor, but Burrow is undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Keep in mind that he still completed over 71% of his passes last week for two touchdowns without Chase.
Meanwhile, the Panthers will try to keep pace with the Bengals and throw the ball more than usual against Cincinnati’s depleted secondary. It wouldn’t be surprising to see both teams score 20+ points, which means the total could go over.
As for Walker’s passing yardage, we’re taking the over on 174.5. He’s cleared this total in the past two weeks, and we like his chances of doing it again versus a beat-up defense in a potentially high-scoring game.
This parlay gives us +700 odds at DraftKings, so a winning $100 wager would return $700 in profit along with your original stake.
