Titans vs Bengals Week 8 picks and predictions

The Cincinnati Bengals are 5-2 ATS this season and are currently getting 5.5 points at home against a 5-1 Tennessee Titans team that has barely been beating opponents all season.

Jason Logan: Senior Betting Analyst at Covers
Jason Logan • Senior Betting Analyst
Oct 26, 2020 • 16:46 ET
Cincinnati Bengals Tee Higgins NFL
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The Tennessee Titans play their first road game in more than a month when they venture to Ohio to face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8.

The NFL betting odds have set the host Bengals as 5.5-point underdogs, coming off a thrilling loss to the rival Browns. Tennessee is fresh off its first defeat of the season, losing a nail-biter to Pittsburgh last Sunday.

These are our best NFL free picks and predictions for Titans vs. Bengals on November 1.

Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals betting preview

Weather

Winds will reach speeds of 30 mph and higher in Cincinnati, blowing WNW with game-time temperatures in the mid-40s. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NFL weather info.

Key Injuries

Titans: Derick Roberson LB (Out), Kristian Fulton CB (Out), Taylor Lewan T (Out), Dane Cruikshank S (Out).
Bengals: Joe Mixon RB (Out), Trey Hopkins C (Out), Bobby Hart T (Out), Jonah Williams T (Out), Darius Phillips CB (Questionable), John Ross III WR (Out).
Find our latest NFL injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Titans are 6-19-1 ATS in their last 26 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. Find more NFL betting trends for Titans vs. Bengals.

Against the spread (ATS) pick

The Titans had been playing with fire during their undefeated start to the season and finally got burned by the Steelers in Week 7.

Tennessee went 5-0 to start the 2020 slate but outside of a blowout win versus Buffalo (which was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 outbreak), this team was far from dominant. The Titans’ first three wins came by a collective six points and Tennessee needed to force overtime for its Week 6 victory against Houston.

The defense has been the biggest flaw for the Titans, allowing 25.5 points per game and sitting near the bottom in total yards allowed. The pass rush is non-existent with only seven sacks on the season (good for the Bengals’ banged-up o-line) and foes are moving the chains with ease, converting on almost 61 percent of their third-down snaps. The secondary could also be down corners Kristian Fulton and Adoree' Jackson for Sunday.

This is great news for the rookie-led Bengals attack. First-year QB Joe Burrow is coming off a 406-yard performance in Cincinnati’s 37-34 home loss at Cleveland, going 35-for-47 passing with three touchdowns and an interception. Burrow connected with six different targets for 50 yards or more, got big days from veteran WRs Tyler Boyd and A.J. Green, and has an emerging stud in fellow rookie Tee Higgins.

Cincy has been a good bet this season at 5-2 ATS and set as an underdog in all but one of those games. The Bengals have just two wins and outside of a one-sided loss to Baltimore in Week 5 (27-3) their other four losses have come by five or fewer points (collective 15 points). This spread has moved to Cincinnati +6 at some books, so make sure you’re getting the best of the number if you’re on the Bengals.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati +5.5 (-110)

 

Over/Under pick

Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill has thrown for nine touchdowns and just one interception over the past three games, boasting a passer rating of 118.0 in that span, but as mentioned Tennessee is playing its first road game since September 27.

Tannehill does have a tough time on the road for his career, with a QB rating of only 84.7 away from home (compared to 97.6 as a host) and a TD-to-INT count of 60 to 47 (versus 100 to 36 at home). That trend holds true so far in 2020, with Tannehill completing only 65 percent of his throws, passing for 7.1 yards per attempt (8.3 at home) and owning a QB rating of 89.1 (compared to 127.4 at home).

The Bengals are going to have a tough time wrangling Titans thundering RB Derrick Henry, who has rumbled for 4.6 yards per carry while also being a handful in the short passing game. Cincinnati is allowing 4.9 yards per run and just gave up 102 yards of offense and a receiving TD to Browns RB Kareem Hunt last week. All those gains on the ground will eat up the clock and not leave much space for scoring.

The Bengals offensive line is in tatters entering Week 8 and could leave Burrow running for his life and shortening his throws to avoid the pressure. Tennessee hasn’t had much success with the pass rush, but Cincinnati is running the risk of having three o-line starters sit this one out on Sunday.

PREDICTION: Under 54.5 (-110)

First-quarter prop pick

The Titans have been in close games right from the opening kickoff. This team has been losing after the first quarter in three of its six games and was tied at 7-7 after the quarter break in another, allowing opponents to score almost six points per first 15 minutes this season.

The Bengals have started strong the past two games, holding 7-3 and 14-0 leads at the end of one.

We’re tempted to take Cincy on the first-quarter moneyline, but feel very sure the Bengals can stay within the 1Q spread after 15 minutes this Sunday. 

PREDICTION: Cincinnati +1.5 first quarter (-110)

Titans vs Bengals betting card

  • Cincinnati +5.5 (-110)
  • Under 54.5 (-110)
  • Cincinnati +1.5 first quarter (-110)
NFL Parlays

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Use our NFL parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.

Where can I bet on the NFL?

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Jason Logan Senior Industry Analyst Covers.com
Senior Betting Analyst

In his 20 years with Covers, lead NFL betting analyst “JLo” has seen it all and bet it all. Through the wild west of early Internet gambling to lobbying for legalized sports betting to our brave new wagering world, Jason has been a consistent source of actionable info and entertainment for squares and sharps alike.

Since joining the Covers team back in 2005, he’s honed his handicapping skills to provide audiences with the most thorough insights, blending traditional capping methods with advanced modelling and predictive analysis. Jason has studied the ins and outs of the sports betting business, learning from some of the most successful gamblers in the industry and the biggest sportsbook operators on the planet.

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