Bengals Titans Spread

Written by Jack Jones

Two of the biggest surprises this season have been the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans. These two meet up Sunday in Tennessee in a key AFC showdown in Week 9. Both squads are only a half-game out of the lead in their respective divisions. This will be the first meeting between these teams since a 24-7 road victory by the Titans in 2008. The Bengals won their last visit to Nashville 31-23 back in ‘05.

Taking a look at the NFL spreads for Week 9, I find a line of Tennessee -3 over Cincinnati and a total set of 42 points.

Tennessee

While Chris Johnson continues to struggle at running back, the Titans continue to find other ways to win. Tennessee (4-3, 3-1 home) is coming off a 27-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday. Johnson was held to just 34 yards on 14 carries, and he heard a muttering of boos from his own fans throughout the game. He has rushed for only 302 yards and one touchdown on the season, averaging just 2.8 yards/carry.

Backup Javon Ringer got all but one carry in the fourth quarter last week, and finished with career highs of 60 rushing yards and 42 receiving yards. Matt Hasselbeck threw for 224 yards and a touchdown against the Colts, and he has been carrying the load for much of the season. Hasselbeck is completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 1,742 yards with 11 touchdown to six interceptions this year.

Tennessee ranks 25th in total offense (309.8 yards/game), including just 31st in rushing (68.9 yards/game). The Titans are 18th in total defense (363.9 yards/game). Nate Washington has become their go-to receiver with Kenny Britt on the injured reserve. Washington has 33 receptions for 433 yards and two touchdowns on the season.

Cincinnati

The Bengals have easily been one of the biggest surprises in the league this year. With rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and rookie wide receiver A.J. Green leading the way, this team has become a force in the AFC. Much of their success early in the year can be attributed to a favorable schedule, though. We’ll certainly find out what this team is made of over the next four weeks considering the play Pittsburgh twice, Baltimore and Cleveland within their division.

Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1 away) will be going for a fifth straight victory for the first time in 23 years Sunday. They have already bested last year’s win total of four and are off to their best start since 1990. They are coming off a 34-12 win at Seattle on Sunday while receiving huge plays from all three units. Reggie Nelson had a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown, Brandon Tate returned a punt 56 yards for a score, and Dalton threw a pair of touchdown passes. Those big plays allowed the Bengals to get the victory despite being outgained 411-252.

This Cincinnati defense has been the biggest reason for their turnaround. The Bengals rank fourth in the league in total defense (297.4 yards/game) and fourth in scoring defense (17.6 points/game). They only rank 22nd in total offense (315.8 yards/game), including 20th in rushing offense (103.4 yards/game). Their ground game could get on track with the return of Cedric Benson, who comes back after serving a one-game suspension.

Betting Trends

The Bengals are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games vs. AFC opponents, and 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a S.U. win.

The Titans are 17-8-1 ATS in their last 26 games as a home favorite of 3.0 or less, but just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a S.U. win.

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