Bengals Seahawks Line


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The Cincinnati Bengals will try and win their fourth straight game this Sunday when they go on the road to take on the Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals return from their bye week tied for second in the AFC North at 4-2. The Seahawks lost 3-6 at Cleveland this past weekend, falling to 2-3 overall.

Taking a look at the week 8 lines, oddsmakers currently have the Bengals favored by 3-points over the Seahawks with the total set at 38 points.

Cincinnati Bengals:

The Bengals have been one of the surprise teams so far this season, but they have a long way to go before they are taken seriously in the NFC North. This week’s game against the Seahawks will be their fifth game against an opponent who currently has a losing record. They have yet to play either Baltimore or Pittsburgh inside the division.

While rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and rookie wide out A.J. Green get a lot of the attention, Cincinnati is 4-2 because of their ability to run the ball and play outstanding defense. Cedric Benson leads the team with 458 yards on 117 attempts. However, he will be unavailable this week as he serves his one-game suspension from his misdemeanor assault case that was settle before the season.

Backup Bernard Scott will start in place of Benson, but they also expect to use Brian Leonard and Cedric Peerman. It will be hard enough to run the ball effectively without their starter, but they face a stingy Seattle run defense that is 11th in yards allowed per game (104.7) and 1st in yards per carry (3.1).

With the running game not expected to contribute a whole lot, it will be up to Dalton and Green to make some big plays for the Bengals to put points on the board. Overall Dalton has played well for a rookie, but he does have five interceptions over his last five contests. In game that figures to be all about defense, he has to make sure to make smart decisions and not give Seattle easy opportunities to score.

Seattle Seahawks:

The Seahawks went into their game against the Browns without starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and running back Marshawn Lynch. They would go on to finish the game with just nine first downs and 137 yards of total offense. Lynch is expected to return against the Bengals, but it remains uncertain whether or not Jackson will be available.

Backup Charlie Whitehurst couldn’t get anything going in the passing game. He finished just 12 of 30 for 97 yards with an interception. Leon Washington filled in for Lynch with 39 yards on seven attempts, but the Seahawks managed just 68 yards on the ground for the game.

Without Jackson at quarterback, wide out Sidney Rice was held to just two catches for 38 yards.  It was the second straight game where Rice was a non-factor on offense. Rice is one of Seattle’s few playmakers on offense and they are going to need him to have a big game if they are going to avoid losing at home.

The problem for the Seahawks struggling offense is they face an even strong defensive unit this week. Cincinnati comes in allowing just 278.5 yards per game, ranking 5th against both the run (89.5 ypg) and pass (189.0 ypg).  Not to mention the Bengals have had a full extra week to prepare for what little Seattle can do offensively.

Betting Trends:

Cincinnati is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games overall, but are just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as a road favorite.

Seattle is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a home underdog, but are just 7-18-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.

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