Raiders vs Bengals Betting Trends – Public Money Is on the Bengals to Cover
- The Bengals are 4.5-point home favorites over the Raiders in an AFC Wild Card game on Saturday, January 15
- Cincinnati is drawing 73% of the handle ATS and 63% of the bets in the point spread
- The wagering trends for this AFC Wild Card showdown can be found below
The last time the Cincinnati Bengals faced the Raiders in an NFL playoff game, they were coming off a postseason win. The Raiders were calling Los Angeles home back then in 1991 and in LA, they posted a 20-10 victory over the Bengals in an AFC Divisional Round game.
Cincinnati hasn’t tasted postseason success since. The Bengals have lost eight successive playoff games.
They’re enduring the longest postseason drought on any NFL team. In fact, the last time the Bengals won a playoff game – an AFC Wild Card victory over the Houston Oilers on Jan. 5, 1991 – you couldn’t even text your friends about the outcome. The first text in history wasn’t sent until December 3, 1992.
Here’s something you might want to share via text with your buddies: oddsmakers are picking the Bengals to end their skid when they play host to the Raiders on Saturday in an AFC Wild Card game. The Bengals are 4.5-point home favorites. Cincinnati is 0-7-1 against the spread in those eight playoff setbacks.
Raiders vs Bengals AFC Wild Card Betting Trends
| Team | Spread | ATS Handle% | ATS Bet% | Total | O/U Handle% | O/U Bet% | Moneyline | ML Handle% | ML Bet% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Raiders | +4.5 | 27 | 37 | 48.5 | 60 | 71 | +205 | 19 | 32 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | -4.5 | 73 | 63 | 48.5 | 40 | 29 | -250 | 81 | 68 |
Odds as of January 15th at FanDuel
Strong ATS Movement Towards Raiders
The line on this game opened at Cincinnati -6. It has shortened to Bengals -4.5. However, the public remains solidly in lock step with the Bengals.
Cincinnati is drawing 73% of against the spread handle and 63% of all ATS bets in the NFL betting trends. The Bengals are 10-7 ATS this season but just 2-3 as a home favorite.
What’s the biggest difference in the #bengals compared to the first time they faced the #raiders this season? Something really sticks out on offense. My report on @nflnetwork on NFL NOW pic.twitter.com/AeNyFYZ20E
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 10, 2022
Las Vegas won four straight to finish out the regular season and earn a playoff spot. The Raiders were the betting underdog in each of those last three victories. As an away underdog this season, they are 4-2 ATS.
However, Las Vegas didn’t fare so well against Cincinnati as a home underdog earlier this season. The Bengals came to Vegas on Nov. 21 as the two-point road chalk. Cincy easily covered, whipping the Raiders 32-13.
Will Weather Forecast Impact The Total?
The total on this game has increased slightly from 48.5 to 49 points. There is an ominous weather forecast that could impact the playing conditions for Saturday’s game.
Game time temperature is expected to be below freezing. Couple that with winds gusting up to 20 mph and it just might limit the ability of these teams to light up the scoreboard.
AFC playoff teams' 2021 records against the other AFC playoff teams:
Titans: 2-2
Chiefs: 3-3
Bills: 2-3#Bengals 4-0
Raiders: 1-3
Patriots: 2-1
Steelers: 2-4— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) January 10, 2022
It won’t be the equal of the 1981 AFC Championship Game in Cincinnati when the temperature dipped all the way down to -37 degrees when the wind chill was factored into the equation. Still, it’s going to be a cold one.
The chilly forecast isn’t deterring the public from pounding the over. It’d drawing 60% of the total handle and 71% of all bets.
Moneyline Action Favoring Cincinnati
Public bettors are also big on the Bengals when it comes to the moneyline. In all, 81% of handle and 68% of bets are from Bengals backers.
As the betting line favorite at odds of -250, the Bengals are being given an implied probability of 71.43% that they will be winning the game. At odds of +205, the underdog Raiders are given an IP of 32.79% that they’ll be the winners.
The Raiders are making a habit out of coming out ahead in close games. They’ve won six games this season on the last play. That’s the most times that’s occurred for one team in the same season since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
A special sendoff for the @Raiders riding by the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign as they head to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. @VegasNation #Raiders #Bengals #Vegas pic.twitter.com/LNeckXFOvN
— Le’Andre Fox 🌴 (@DreFox_) January 14, 2022
In their last four victories, Las Vegas beat the Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts each by three points apiece. The Raiders were four-point winners over the Denver Broncos and beat the Cleveland Browns by two.
When they lose, though, the Raiders tend to do it in a big way. Among their seven losses, five were by double-digits point totals, with an average margin of defeat in those games of 22 points.
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An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
