The Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys are heading to AT&T Stadium in a Monday night matchup in Week 14 that has plenty of implications for both teams, but what’s even better is there are plenty of betting opportunities as well. We think you're going to love what we've come up with for the Bengals vs. Cowboys prediction.
Game Time: Monday, December 9th, 7:15pm CST
Location: AT&T Stadium
The Bengals come in as 5.5-point favorites despite their recent struggles, while the Cowboys are looking to pull off an upset at home, which would be only their 2nd home win of the season. Perhaps the glare from the windows at Jerry’s World won’t be a problem tonight.
Betting Odds: CIN -5.5 O/U 49.5
The Bengals are coming in at -250 on the moneyline, with the Cowboys hitting as high as +200 as underdogs. There’s no surprise here judging by how these teams have looked over their past few games.
The point spread sits at Cincinnati -5.5 at most books, with both sides paying -110. The total points for the game are set between 48.5 and 49.5 for most sportsbooks, leaning toward a higher-scoring game.
So far, betting trends show heavy action on the Bengals, with 68% of bets and a whopping 84% of the money on Cincinnati’s moneyline. The spread bets aren’t too far off from that, either. The public betting is also favoring the Bengals to cover the 5.5-point spread, as 71% of spread bets are backing Cincinnati.
If Dallas ends up winning this matchup, the sportsbooks aren’t going to be too happy about it.
Joe Burrow has been looking like an elite QB this season, with 3,337 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. He boasts a 107.4 QB rating which puts him 4th in the NFL only behind Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff, and Sam Darnold.
He’ll be looking to take advantage of a Cowboys defense ranked 18th in interceptions but just 25th in total yards allowed. So, there’s some opportunity there that the Bengals will have to try to exploit. Burrow’s connection with Ja’Marr Chase (79 receptions, 1,142 yards, 13 TDs) is arguably the league’s best combo and will almost certainly be the focal point of Cincinnati’s attack.
The Cowboys' secondary is led by rookie corner DaRon Bland who will need to step up against Burrow’s smoking-hot passing. He’s as sharp as a tack both inside and outside of the pocket.
However, losing CB Josh Butler due to his ACL leaves Dallas a bit shorthanded in their efforts to slow down or even put a stop to Chase and Tee Higgins.
The Cowboys have leaned on Rico Dowdle over the past few weeks. He’s averaging a decent 4.5 yards per carry, and Dallas will need a big game from him to control the clock and keep the ball moving to keep the drives alive.
However, Cincinnati’s rush defense, which ranks 23rd and allows 128.2 rushing yards per game, has been fairly inconsistent and a bit leaky at times. This could be the matchup that swings in Dallas’ favor if their offensive line, despite some injuries, can dominate the trenches. This might not be the game changer for the Cowboys, but it definitely gives them a script to go off of.
While both teams give up tons of points and are tied for 30th in points allowed per game (a dismal 28.3), the Cowboys have a clear advantage in pass-rushing that we don’t see the Bengals having an answer for.
Micah Parsons and the Dallas defensive line have accumulated a whopping 33 sacks this season. That’s good for 12th in the league and shows that they’re a decent threat on the line. They’ll look to make Burrow uncomfortable in the pocket behind a Bengals offensive line that will be missing left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
The Cowboys, using their defense, have a chance to tilt the game in their favor early on if they can prevent Burrow from finding his rhythm.
The Bengals have struggled as of late as they’ve lost 4 of their last 5 games, including a shootout against Pittsburgh last week (44-38) and a pair of road losses to the Chargers and Ravens. The offense has put up some decent points in these games but hasn’t been able to compensate for a leaky defense that is giving up massive points each game.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, have been on a roll with back-to-back wins against Washington and the New York Giants. The Giant's game was their first home win of the season. Cooper Rush has been fairly decent as a backup QB, however, the offense lacks the explosiveness needed to dominate opponents.
The Bengals’ dominant offensive talent and Dallas’ injury concerns make Cincinnati the pick here. Even on the road, we think the Bengals should have no problem putting away the Dallas Cowboys.
Burrow’s ability to dissect defenses with his sharp passes and Chase’s big-play potential is likely too much for a depleted Cowboys secondary to handle.
Sure, Dallas’ pass rush could cause problems for Burrow and Co., but without the offensive firepower to keep pace, we think it’s hard to see them pulling off the upset. We’re looking for the Bengals to lean on their passing game and pull away late.
Best Bet: Bengals -5.5 (-110)
BettorsInsider Prediction: Bengals 31, Cowboys 24