Panthers vs. Bengals Point Spread: NFL Week 9 Odds, Prediction
The Bengals return home on the rebound in the wake of their worst defeat of the season, a lopsided 32-13 loss in Cleveland on Monday Night Football that has bounced them from the top of the AFC North standings. The Panthers make their first trip to Cincinnati in eight years looking to snap an eight-game road slide after falling 37-34 in Atlanta last weekend.
The Bengals’ shaky performance in Monday’s loss to the Browns, combined with the hip injury that has sidelined star receiver Ja’Marr Chase indefinitely has had an impact on the NFL Week 9 odds. Since peaking as 10-point favourites, the Bengals have faded to -7, and are backed by just 49 per cent of sports bettors. The total has also dipped to 42.5 since opening at 44. However, the OVER has attracted a sizeable 78 per cent of the betting action.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Sunday afternoon’s matchup at Paycor Stadium marks just the sixth all-time meeting between these teams. The Panthers marched to a 31-21 win when they hosted the Bengals in their most recent clash four years ago, and have won three of their six all-time head-to-head tilts. The Bengals are undefeated in two previous home dates with Carolina, capped by a 37-37 tie back in 2018, but have covered just once previous matchup with the Panthers. The total has gone OVER in their two most recent matchups, ending a 3-1-0 run for the UNDER.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are coming off their best offensive performance of the season in last week’s loss to the Falcons, racking up 34 points after averaging just 16.7 points per game over their previous six contests. However, the reviews on PJ Walker’s performance remain mixed. Elevated to the role of starting quarterback after Baker Mayfield got hurt, Walker has been steady in his past two starts, tossing for three total touchdowns against just one pick, and racking up 317 passing yards last week. However, he failed to inspire with a dismal 52.8 per cent completion rate last weekend, and did not connect on a single pass in five drives into the Falcons red zone.
While Walker is expected to get yet another start on Sunday, the Panthers’ hopes of posting their second upset win in three weeks clearly rest on the shoulders of their backfield. Most notably D’Onta Foreman, who ran for 118 yards for a second straight week in Atlanta, and this time was rewarded for his efforts with three rushing touchdowns.
Cincinnati Bengals
It was a different Bengals offence with Chase out of the lineup on Monday night. Joe Burrow’s favourite downfield target since making his NFL debut last season, Chase looked to be rounding into form after racking up 262 total yards and making two scoring catches. That is until he went down with a hip injury that will reportedly sideline him for at least four weeks. Without the ever reliable Chase, Burrow struggled in Monday’s loss, connecting on just 25-of-35 pass attempts for just 232 yards while getting sacked five times.
With the passing game in disarray, the Bengals must now find ways to kick start a ground game that has produced just five scores this season, including three by Burrow. That could mean a heavier workload for Joe Mixon. The Bengals running back is well off the pace that powered him to personal bests in rushing yards and scores last season, and must now contend with a surprisingly stingy Panthers rush defence that has allowed scoring runs in just one of their past three games. Look for this team to return to the win column on Sunday, but for this contest to not be the tonic that many fans expect.
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