Bengals vs Commanders Picks, Props, Who’s Playing & How to Watch
By Sascha Paruk in NFL Football
Published:
- The Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders wrap up preseason Week 2 on Monday Night Football
- The Bengals are riding a seven-game winless skid in preseason action but are favored on MNF
- See the Bengals vs Commanders picks, props, and odds, plus details on how to watch and who’s playing
The Cincinnati Bengals (0-1, 0-1 away, 1-0 O/U) are slowly turning into the Washington Generals of the NFL preseason. After falling to the Eagles in Week 1, the Bengals are now 0-6-1 in their last seven preseason games dating back to 2023. On Monday, Cincinnati will have a chance to end that winless skid when they visit the Washington Commanders (0-1, 0-0 home, 1-0 O/U) at Northwest Stadium in Landover, MD, at 8:00 pm ET.
The Bengals opened as three-point favorites and the spread has grown by half a point over the week. The most-significant movement has come on the total, which has increased from 41.5 to 43.5.
CIN Bengals vs WSH Commanders Odds
The moneyline, which opened at -166/+140 in Cincinnati’s favor, now shows the Bengals at -198 (66.44% implied win probability) and the Commanders at +164 (37.88%).
Both defenses were absolutely shredded during Week 1 of the preseason. Cincinnati fell 34-27 to the Eagles, while the Commanders were routed 48-18 by the Patriots. Bettors have taken note and hammered the over in Monday’s NFL public betting percentages, putting 72% of O/U handle and 80% of O/U wagers on the over so far.
How to Watch Bengals vs Commanders Tonight
The first Monday Night Football game of the season will be broadcast live on ESPN, which continues to own the rights to the NFL’s premier timeslot. Monday Night Countdown will start an hour before kickoff, per usual (7:00 pm ET), followed by game coverage at 8:00 pm ET.
Viewers in Canada can watch Bengals/Commanders on TSN.
Get a 30-day free trial of Fubo TV and stream the NFL Network all season.
Who’s Playing in Commanders vs Bengals?
Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor reportedly plans to play his starters at least as much as they played in preseason Week 1, when Joe Burrow led Cincinnati on two first-quarter touchdown drives. The third-favorite in the preseason NFL MVP odds, Burrow was a near-perfect 9-of-10 for 123 yards and two TD passes before giving way to Desmond Ridder (7-of-16, 91 yards, one TD) and Jake Browning (6-of-14, 62 yards, one INT).
Unfortunately for Bengals bettors, the defense was torn apart by 2023 sixth-round pick Tanner McKee (20-of-25, 252 yards, two passing TDs, one rushing TD).
The Commanders are also expected to play their starters for a series or two, which coach Dan Quinn opted not to do in preseason Week 1. That will mean the first preseason action for reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels.
Josh Johnson (15-of-22 ,173 yards, one TD, one INT) and Sam Hartman (9-of-19, 64 yards, one INT) were both mistake-prone in Washington’s ugly loss at New England last week.
Bengals vs Commanders Picks & Predictions for MNF
The Bengals are being priced like their starters will play significantly more than Washington’s, and that’s far from a guarantee. While Joe Burrow is leading TD drives for the Bengals in the first quarter, Jayden Daniels will be doing the same for the Commanders. I don’t expect either to play after the clock hits zero on Q1.
Both defenses looked awful in Week 1, and more of the same is likely in store in Week 2. The Bengals were torn apart by a sixth-rounder with 45 total NFL pass attempts under his belt against Philly (McKee). Josh Johnson, Washington’s QB2, is nothing to write home about, but the journeyman moved the ball decently well against the New England defense last week, and he should have an even easier time of it at home against Cincinnati.
I love the value on the Washington moneyline, which is as long as +175 at Caesars, and am also betting over 43.0 (-110) at BetMGM, even though that total has been pushed up 1.5 points since opening.
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Managing Editor
Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.
