Fans should have the opportunity to see more starters hit the field for longer Thursday night as
the Cincinnati Bengals head to FedExField for their Week 2 pre-season tilt with Washington. But
both teams are facing serious questions on offence as they enter the middle of August, with the
Bengals having to do without star wide receiver A.J. Green and Washington not entirely sure
how its offence will look going into the regular season in a few weeks time.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

Washington opened as a standard three-point favourite, but that line has since been bet up to –
4. And that might shift again as we get closer to game time, with the underdog having covered
each of the previous four head-to-head regular season meetings between the teams. But that
wasn’t the case when these teams actually met last, with Washington pulling out a 23-17 victory
over visiting Cincinnati in a pre-season encounter back in 2017.

The total for Thursday’s Week 2 kickoff game has dipped only slightly, down to 41 from an
opening of 41.5. The Bengals come in having posted three unders and a pair of pushes over
their previous five games, and are 3-1-1 to the under in their last five road games. Washington
has just one totals-related trend worth mentioning in this space: It is 12-5 in favour of the under
in its previous 17 games played on grass surfaces.

Cincinnati Bengals

With Green (ankle) expected to be out into the early portion of the regular season and John
Ross (hamstring) also on the sidelines, the focus in this one will be on Tyler Boyd, who could
enter the season as the de facto No. 1 receiving option. Boyd had three catches for 25 yards in
Cincinnati’s pre-season opener, and could see plenty of action in the opening quarter even
though this is a short week for the Bengals, who played last Saturday night.

Washington Redskins

The outcome of this game could very well come down to whether Washington quarterback
Dwayne Haskins improves in his second taste of NFL action. Haskins was picked off twice in
last week’s 30-10 thumping at the hands of the Cleveland Browns, and that development is sure
to stick with bettors this week. Look for Washington to roll out a carousel of wide receivers in
this one as they continue to whittle down the candidates for the final roster.

BENGALS

Away

20

REDSKINS

Home

13

Score
Predictions

Matchup