Upcoming Match-ups

Cincinnati Bengals vs New England Patriots Odds, Predictions and Best Bets for Week 16

Chris Wassel

by Chris Wassel in NFL Football

Updated Dec 31, 2022 · 3:29 PM PST

Bill Belichick on the sidelines
Dec 18, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; iNew England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts in the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Patriots 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
  • The Cincinnati Bengals are 3-point road favorites over the New England Patriots on Saturday
  • The Bears narrowly lost to the Eagles while the Bengals won for the sixth straight time last week
  • See the Bengals vs Patriots odds and picks ahead of their Week 16 matchup, and our prediction below

The Cincinnati Bengals vs New England Patriots game on Saturday will feature blustery weather and arctic cold. Temperatures in Foxborough expect to be stuck in the teens. Cincinnati is currently the hottest team in the AFC with a 10-4 record. Right now they are 3-point road favorites vs the Patriots. Read on for Cincinnati Bengals vs New England Patriots prediction and analysis.

The Bengals hold a slight chance at snagging the top seed in the AFC, while, the Patriots are battling to just hold on to a wildcard spot.

Cincinnati are as close to healthy as they have been all season. Unfortunately, New England has two running backs still limited in practice for Saturday.

Cincinnati Bengals vs New England Patriots gets underway Saturday from Gillette Stadium at 1:00 pm ET, in a game that can be seen live on CBS. Ohio sports bettors should be sure to follow the latest updates for Ohio sports betting which launches on January 1, 2023.

Cincinnati Bengals vs New England Patriots Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Cincinnati Bengals -3 (-114) -175 Ov 41.5 (-112)
New England Patriots +3 (-107) +143 Un 41.5 (-109)

Odds as of December 22nd from Barstool Sportsbook Ohio. Claim the Barstool Sportsbook promo code for Bengals vs Patriots to bet on this game

Cincinnati’s odds shifted from 3.5 to 3 points. The over has stayed mostly between 41 and 42. It resides at 41.5 now.

The NFL betting trends are mixed. 72% of the money placed is for the Patriots but overall, 83% of the bets are on the Bengals covering the spread and 64% on the under for Sunday.

Bengals Betting Outlook

This game becomes integral in Cincinnati’s hopes of topping not just the AFC North but the conference too. Cincinnati lies just a game between Buffalo and Kansas City for the best record in the AFC. The Bengals kind of control their own destiny. They play Buffalo next week and close out the season against Baltimore.

With their winning streak at six, the Bengals have overcome their early-season hangover.

Last week, the Bengals’ defense continued to be opportunistic in a  34-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When Tom Brady and Tampa Bay tried to go through the air, Cincinnati came up with two interceptions. The Bengals then caused three fumbles and recovered two of them.

The New England Patriots remain somewhat weak against the pass. Joe Burrow and the Bengals love to throw the ball to set up the run. Does Cincinnati reverse course a bit given the weather this weekend? Elite running attacks like Baltimore and Chicago both ran the ball against New England with much success. Deep passes may be at a premium with windy, frigid conditions likely.

Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offensive strategy might get altered a bit with shorter routes for Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. Also, Tyler Boyd plus the running backs figure to see some more short passes too.

Patriots Betting Outlook

At home, the Patriots are just 3-3. That is a little difficult to comprehend. New England averages less than 20 points per game at Gillette Stadium. The last four contests at Foxboro feature an offense struggling to get to even 300 yards. Mac Jones has been ineffective too often and has seven touchdowns compared to eight interceptions.

With New England’s running backs limited in practice (Rhamondre Stevenson and Damian Harris), Saturday’s game figures not to feel too pleasant on their injuries.

The Patriots’ offense just has not performed up to expectations. Seven of the previous eight weeks, New England has negative expected points.

Again, this week is problematic as neither Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe seem truly the answer. Their QBRs are both under 35. If Stevenson is less than 100%, New England is in huge trouble offensively.

The cold will only exacerbate their troubles. Can the Patriots’ defense step up in a critical game to help out the offense? They have forced five turnovers in the past four contests while looking mostly okay.

Finally, we saw what the cold weather did last week in Chicago as a great equalizer. The difference here is the spread. Three points is a good deal less than nine.

Bengals vs Patriots Prediction

This game expects to stay lower scoring than usual.

Now, Cincinnati managing to pull away late would not be a surprise. However, the Bengals blowing out the Patriots would be a bigger shock. Cincinnati possesses enough versatility to play things closer to the vest and win a tough December road game on Christmas Eve.

The Pick: Cincinnati -3 (-114) 1 unit

2022 Record: 10-4; Overall: 10-4, +5.5 units

DRAFTKINGS
SPORTSBOOK


Bet $5 & Get $200 in Bonus Bets Instantly + a No Sweat NBA SGP Every Day!

LOCK IN PROMO
SIGNUP PROMO
BET $5
GET $200

+ A NO SWEAT NBA SGP

GET PROMO

Must be 21+ & present in OH. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Author Image