New England Patriots vs Cincinnati Bengals 12/15/19 NFL Betting Odds and Preview

The New England Patriots look to get back on track when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals at the Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday.

The Patriots are playoff-bound and have the inside track at winning their division but the team which started strong this season has lost back to back games and are now just 10-3 SU on the season. The New England offense has struggled to score points in their last five games and with Julie Edelman hurt, the Patriots need solutions here. Meanwhile, the Bengals are the worst team in the NFL this season but they are coming off their first week of the year in Week 13. Andy Dalton is back behind center but the Bengals may be looking at the 2020 draft and picking their new franchise QB.

Getting Back on Track

The New England Patriots have lost two straight games and they have come up short against potential AFC playoff opponents. In their last game, Tom Brady and his team lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs 16-23 to fall to 10-3 SU on the season. New England is going to make the playoffs. They need to get back on track though.

Tom Brady has passed for a total of 3,437 passing yards with 19 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Sony Michel leads the New England offense on the ground with 653 rushing yards with six touchdowns on 189 carries while Julie Edelman leads the Patriots with 1,010 receiving yards with six touchdowns on 90 catches.

New England ranks 9th in passing with an average of 258.2 yards per game. They are 23rd in rushing at only 96.2 rushing yards per game. The Patriots offense ranks 8th in scoring at 25.8 points per game and they are allowing opponents to score only 12.9 points per game on the year.

Worst Team in the NFL

The Bengals are the worst team in the NFL this season and tanking may be on their mind given the depth of the incoming quarterback class. But since Andy Dalton has returned to action, he has led the Bengals to their first win of the season in Week 13. The Patriots are a tall order but with nothing to lose, they may let it all hang here.

Andy Dalton has passed for a total of 2,757 yards with 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Joe Mixon is the top rusher with 789 rushing yards with three touchdowns on 206 carries. Tyler Boyd leads the team in receiving with a total of 833 yards with three scores on 73 catches.

Cincinnati ranks 18th in passing at 226.8 yards per game this season. They are ranked 28th in the NFL in rushing at 85.8 yards per game. The Bengals are next to last in scoring at 15.1 points per game this season and they are allowing their opponents to score an average of 25.0 points per game this season.

Who Wins?

New England is 15-3 SU in their last 18 games played. The Patriots are 6-2 SU in their last eight games played on the road. Cincinnati is 1-15 SU in their last 16 games played. The Bengals are 1-5 SU in their last six games played at home. Head to head, the Patriots are 6-1 SU in their last seven games played against Cincinnati.

The New England offense has stumbled over the past month and the Patriots have fallen to 10-3 on the season. They have lost two in a row and their 21 game home winning streak is now history. The Patriots have failed to top 100 rushing yards in five out of their last seven games played.

The Bengals got their first win of the season in Week 13 but they returned to their losing ways after losing to intra-state rival Cleveland 19-27 last week. Cincinnati is a big underdog on Sunday but if Mixon can run the ball well, then the Bengals are going to give the Patriots a fight.

The New England offense may be in a funk but they still have one of the stingiest defenses in the league. The Patriots rushing may be in the bottom three in the league but the Bengals have the worst rushing defense in the NFL. I like the Patriots to get back on track and win on the road.

Prediction: New England Patriots

Place Your Bet Here

Other Bets to Make

The Patriots are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played. New England is 4-3 ATS in seven road games played this season, and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played against the AFC Conference. The Bengals are 1-12 ATS in their last 13 games played this season, 5-1 ATS in their last six December games, and 1-4-1 ATS in six home games played this year. Head to head, New England is 5-1 ATS in their last six games against Cincinnati and the Patriots are just 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games played against the Bengals.

I don’t see how the Bengals win this game straight out. The Patriots’ offense has struggled to score an average of 19 points per game over their last five games played. Edelman is hurt and the New England wide receiver corps is suddenly thin. Cincinnati is the NFL’s worst team but they can play pass rush and if they can get a couple of scores here, they should be able to cover the spread.

Prediction: Bengals +10

Place Your Bet Here

The total has gone under in 10 out of the last 14 games played by the Patriots. New England has seen the total go under in five out of their seven road games played this season. The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by Cincinnati. The under is 7-3 in the Bengals’ last 10 games against the AFC conference, and 5-0 in their last five games against the AFC East division. Head to head, the total has gone over in six out of the last nine meetings between the Patriots and Bengals.

These teams have combined to score an average of 43.67 points per game in their last three head to head meetings. The over is 6-2 in their last eight meetings with an average combined score of 49.25 points per game. New England still has one of the toughest defenses in the league this season. However, the Bengals have moved the ball much better since Dalton has returned to action. Cincinnati’s defense is in the bottom 10 in scoring. New England isn’t really among the offensive elites but 41.5 seems like a modest total. I like the over.

Prediction: Over 41.5

Place Your Bet Here