Dolphins vs. Bengals Point Spread: NFL Week 4 Odds, Prediction
The Thursday night NFL game this week should feature the first professional meeting between talented young quarterbacks in the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa (although he’s not a sure thing) and Bengals’ Joe Burrow. Cincinnati is a 3.5-point home favourite on the NFL odds.
NFL TNF Point Spread and Betting Analysis
It was no secret around the NFL that the Miami Dolphins desperately were trying to acquire the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft from the Cincinnati Bengals so the Fins could take Joe Burrow, the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner and record-setting quarterback from national champion LSU.
Miami offered a lot, but the Bengals were never moving out of that spot and took Burrow. The Fins settled for Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5. For the first time, they will meet as professionals on Thursday – they did face off in an epic LSU 46-41 win at Alabama in SEC action in 2019.
These teams last played in December 2020 and Burrow was out injured for the season then. Miami won 19-7 at home. Tua threw for 296 yards and a score. Cincinnati’s offence didn’t do much behind then-QB Brandon Allen.
The Dolphins are 7-3 against the spread in the past 10 meetings. The home team has covered five straight in the series.
Miami Dolphins
Miami upset Super Bowl favourite Buffalo on Sunday 21-19 to improve to 3-0. It came with some controversy as Fins QB Tua Tagovailoa was knocked woozy after hitting his head on the ground but eventually returned. The NFL Players Association has told the NFL it wants to initiate a review of the league’s concussion protocols as it believes the team rushed Tua back too quickly. Miami coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa’s back was actually the issue and that his QB isn’t in concussion protocol currently. The lefty is also dealing with an ankle issue and is no sure thing to start Thursday. Miami, 3-0 for the first time since 2018, does have one of the league’s top backups in Teddy Bridgewater. Second-year Jaylen Waddle is the first Dolphins receiver with back-to-back 100-yard games since 2019. Miami is 3-1-1 ATS in its past five road games.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati got its first win of the season Sunday, 27-12 over the visiting Jets. Joe Burrow threw for 275 yards and three scores. For the first time since December 2020, the Bengals won the toss and took the ball as they had been struggling offensively to start games without a first-half TD in the first two. Cincinnati scored a TD on its first drive vs. the Jets. Burrow finished the first quarter with 163 passing yards, and the Bengals took a 20-9 lead into halftime. Trey Hendrickson had 2.5 sacks – two of them strip sacks. Defensive tackle DJ Reader left with a knee injury and his status for Thursday isn’t clear yet. The Bengals forced four turnovers for the first time in the 52-game Zac Taylor era. They are 6-1 ATS in their past seven after a win.
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