The Cincinnati Bengals are undefeated and arguably the most impressive team in football this side of the New England Patriots. On Thursday Night Football, they will look to improve to 8-0 against the Cleveland Browns, who come into the game as 12.5-point underdogs, according to OddsShark. The over/under for the game is set at 45.5.
Cincinnati has been terrific on both sides of the ball. The Bengals have been able to really explode offensively because of the development of fifth-year quarterback Andy Dalton, who suddenly looks like one of the elite players in the National Football League. Dalton has thrown for 1,992 yards and 15 touchdowns with only four interceptions. Compare that to Dalton’s 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions last year, and see you the change.
Dalton’s main target has been star receiver A.J. Green, who has 46 catches for 649 yards and six touchdowns. The backfield duo of Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill has also been potent with a combined seven touchdowns.
Cleveland will need to stick with the powerful Bengals offense with Johnny Manziel at the helm. Manziel is expected to start in place of Josh McCown, who has been surprisingly decent throughout the first eight games. Manziel will have a pair of legitimate receivers in Travis Benjamin and Gary Bainbridge, who have amassed 601 and 567 yards respectively.
The betting trends tell us that the right play is the OVER and for the Bengals to cover. Cincinnati is 15-4-2 against the spread at Paul Brown Stadium over its last 21 games, while Cleveland is 2-3-1 ATS over its previous six games. Both teams trend toward the OVER, with the Browns going that way seven of their last eight and the Bengals in four of their last five contests.