Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals Odds, Lines, Picks and Predictions for Monday Night Football Week 17
By Bryan Thiel in NFL Football
Updated: January 2, 2023 at 11:25 am ESTPublished:
- Monday Night Football caps off its 2022 slate with a heavyweight tilt between the Bills and Bengals
- 2022 Record: 12-8, +2.83 units; Monday Night Football record: 9-5, +3.10 units
- See the Bills vs Bengals odds ahead of kickoff from Paycor Stadium at 8:30 pm ET
It’s hard to imagine a better game for the finale of Monday Night Football for the 2022 season.
The Buffalo Bills head to Ohio at 12-3. They were tied for the top spot in the AFC entering Week 17. By virtue of their win over Kansas City earlier in the year, they have the inside track on first place.
The Cincinnati Bengals entered the week a game behind at 11-4. If they come out on top, then they hold an edge over the Bills and Chiefs for first. A Bengals win sets up a wild Week 18 with the only bye in the AFC on the line.
Cincy gets homefield advantage in a crucial Monday Night Football matchup. It will be an unseasonably warm evening at Paycor Stadium.
Bills vs Bengals Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | -120 | -1.0 (-110) | Ov 49.5 (-110) |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +100 | +1.0 (-110) | Un 49.5 (-110) |
Odds as of January 1st from Caesars Sportsbook OhioÂ
Despite Ohio online sports betting getting off to a successful start, the Bills open as road favorites in Cincinnati. If you look around, you can find Buffalo at -1.5 at some books. For two loaded offenses, the total seems a bit low at 49.5.
NFL Public Betting Trends favor the Bills on the spread. The handle is heavily skewed towards the Bills at around 70%, and 53% of bets are leaning their way. The public is hammering the total in both bets and money at over 80%, while bets are split 50/50 on the outright results.
Bills vs Bengals Injury Report
Josh Allen has been battling an elbow injury since early November. While there were some initial questions about how it could hamper his season, Allen has yet to miss a game. His numbers have fallen off though.
He averaged 300 yards and 2.4 touchdowns per game through the his first eight weeks. Since then he’s averaged 232 yards per game and 1.9 TDs.
Week 17 Injury Report
| Bills | Injury, Status | Bengals | Injury, Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Poyer, S | Knee, Questionable | Sam Hubbard, DE | Calf, Questionable |
| N/A | N/A | La’el Collins, T | Knee, IR |
The final injury reports are light for both teams, but each side had some big names pop up throughout the week.
Along with Allen, Stefon Diggs popped up on the injury report for a day with an illness. Dawson Knox, Cam Lewis, Matt Milano, Jordan Phillips and and Mitch Morse were also listed at difference points.
– #1 seed is on the line
– Tensions flare as the season closes
– Biggest game of the year, league-wide
– Historic MNF matchupThe hype is unreal, the importance cannot be overstated. Things are tense.
Meanwhile #BillsMafia and #RuleTheJungle are just like pic.twitter.com/B6EgjMCYcH
— Iestyn T Harris (Yes-Tin) (@IestynTHarris) December 30, 2022
La’el Collins was placed on Injured Reserve this week after suffering a knee injury against the Patriots. Hayden Hurst is set to return after a three game absence.
Bills, Bengals Receivers Set to Shine
With unseasonably warm temperatures circulating through North America a week after some nasty Christmas weather, it could mean a good night for the passing attacks. Even with rain expected late into the evening.
And there are plenty of weapons on either sideline.
Bills, Bengals Top Receivers
| Receiver | Rec/Tgt | Yards | YPC | Touchdowns | Rec/Game | Yds/Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stefon Diggs, BUF | 101/144 | 1,325 | 13.1 | 10 | 6.7 | 88.3 |
| Gabe Davis, BUF | 45/83 | 797 | 17.7 | 7 | 3.2 | 56.9 |
| Ja’Marr Chase, CIN | 79/121 | 960 | 12.2 | 8 | 7.2 | 87.3 |
| Tee Higgins, CIN | 73/102 | 1,022 | 14.0 | 7 | 4.9 | 68.1 |
The Bills offense has posted 30+ points in back-to-back games. Their running game took over against the Bears, as Allen, Devin Singletary and James Cook all ran in touchdowns.
Singletary and Cook combined for 205 yards on the ground. Diggs was targeted just twice, catching both, for 26 yards.
With the expectation of the Bengals running more man coverage then zone against the Bills I expect a strong performance from Gabe Davis more importantly more plays like this in the redzone! @BuiltInBuffalo_ #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/n69g7dgqdY
— Peter DiBiasi (@DibiasiPeter) January 1, 2023
Cincy’s offense has topped 30 points just once in the past five games, but they’ve been rolling up the yards. Since their bye in Week 10, the Bengals have logged over 360 yards of total offense in five of their six games. They’ve crossed the 400 yard mark three times.
Chase has been a high volume target all year, but especially the last few weeks. Since returning from injury, Chase has target shares of eight, 15, 13 and 11.
Bills vs Bengals Pick
It seems safe to expect a lot of scoring between two favorites in the Super Bowl odds. Both sides have given up plenty of big numbers over the last few weeks.
In terms of common opponents, the Chiefs hung 24 points on the Bengals and 20 on the Bills. Since Week 6, seven Bengals games have seen combined scores over 50. Over the last nine weeks, five Bills games have crossed 50 points.
Cincy is an attractive home dog in this one. But if you’re unsure of the outcome, then hope we get fireworks.
The Pick: Over 49.5 points (-110); 1 Unit
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Sports Writer
Bryan has spent the last decade working in the sports industry. From the sidelines in the OHL and Rugby League to behind the scenes at TSN, Bryan has a wealth of experience with a soft spot for props and parlays.
