One team will walk away with their first win of the season when the 0-2 Cincinnati Bengals visit the 0-2 Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 (unless it ends in an embarrassing tie).
The NFL betting odds have Philadelphia set as a 6.5-point home favorite, coming off a beating at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday. The Bengals enter Week 3 with additional time to prepare after losing to the Cleveland Browns but pulling out the backdoor cover as +6 underdogs last Thursday.
These are our NFL free picks and predictions for Bengals vs. Eagles on September 27.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Philadelphia Eagles betting preview
Weather
The forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the high 70s with light winds blowing up to 5 mph at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NFL weather info.
Key Injuries
Bengals: John Ross WR (Out), C.J. Uzomah TE (Out), Shawn Williams S (Questionable), Geno Atkins DE (Out), Xavier Su'a-Filo G (Out)
Eagles: Jalen Reagor WR (Out), Alshon Jeffery WR (Out).
Find our latest NFL injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Under is 8-3-1 in Bengals’ last 12 road games. Find more NFL betting trends for Bengals vs. Eagles.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Eagles were 5.5-point home favorites on the lookahead line last week and reopened at -6 Sunday night following their loss to the Rams. They jumped to -6.5 with early money on the home side, where they sit as of Tuesday morning.
We’re in rare air here with an 0-2 team giving a near touchdown to a Bengals squad that has been competitive though two games. Rookie quarterback Joe Burrow has performed well in his first tastes of pro football, but Philadelphia could be ready for him in Week 3.
There will be parts of the Cincinnati offense that looks familiar to the Eagles this Sunday. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is a former Rams quarterback coach under Sean McVay, and film study could hold added value for this week’s opponent. While L.A. had success moving the chains versus Philadelphia, Cincinnati won’t get the drop on the defense and is executing with less talent than Week 2’s opponent.
On the other side of the ball, Eagles QB Carson Wentz has a great opportunity to get his head straight after two subpar performances. Wentz did face two of the best defensive lines in the NFL in Washington and L.A. and was forced to hurry up with the football to avoid the pass rush. Philadelphia’s banged-up offensive line did solid work versus the Rams and won’t see the same pressure out of the toothless Cincy defense (especially if Geno Atkins is still sidelined with a shoulder injury).
PREDICTION: Philadelphia -6.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
On top of familiarity with the offensive sets, the Eagles also have an ace up their sleeve as it pertains to Taylor’s playbook. Press Taylor, the younger brother of the Bengals head coach, is Philadelphia’s passing game coordinator and QB coach, bringing some in-depth knowledge on his big brother’s tendencies into Sunday’s matchup.
The play calling for the Eagles should involve a lot of rushing, with Cincinnati unable to contain opposing running backs through two games. The Bengals were blasted on the ground by the Browns, giving up 215 rushing yards Thursday, and allowed the Los Angeles Chargers to go for 155 yards on the ground in Week 1.
Philadelphia barely ran the ball in the opening loss to Washington, but got RB Miles Sanders back in action for Week 2 and rumbled for a respectable 121 yards on just 26 carries – an average of 4.65 yards per run. The Bengals are bleeding an average of five yards per rush to opponents, so Philly could chew up the TOP (time of possession) on the turf and keep scoring low.
PREDICTION: Under 46.5 (-110)
Player prop pick
Sanders sat out Week 1 with a tender hamstring and looked rusty early on against Los Angeles, fumbling away the ball on the third play from scrimmage. However, the running back settled in and found his form on the ground and through the air.
On top of his 95 yards rushing and a TD, Sanders also reeled in three balls on seven targets for an additional 36 yards in gains through the air. Sanders has now had a full week of practice and conditioning after missing most of the preseason prep with injury.
Cincinnati was gashed by pass-catching back Kareem Hunt last Thursday. Hunt had two big catches for 15 yards and a receiving score to go along with his 86 yards rushing and a TD on the ground. While we’re going Over on this total offensive yardage, Sanders could also be worth a wager to find the end zone anytime.
PREDICTION: Miles Sanders Over 108.5 total yards (-120)
Bengals vs Eagles betting card
- Philadelphia -6.5 (-110)
- Under 46.5 (-110)
- Miles Sanders Over 108.5 total yards (-120)
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