Bengals vs Cardinals Preview: Cincinnati Offense Struggling

It’s no surprise to see the NFL’s 32nd-ranked offense taking the field in this game. But most people would have expected to see Arizona at the bottom of the NFL stats. Instead, it’s the Bengals, who rank No. 31 in passing offense, No. 31 in rushing offense, and No. 32 in total offense. There’s plenty of blame to go around. The Cardinals are 1-3 on the season, but 3-1 against the NFL point spreads, so they’re playing tough. The Bengals vs Cardinals preview shows Cincinnati is favored by 3 points (-105) and the total on the game is 44.5.

Bengals Stars Aren’t Shining

Through the first four games of the season, Joe Burrow has thrown two touchdown passes. He’s also been intercepted twice. Joe Mixon has one rushing touchdown on the year. But the stats don’t get any better for Cincinnati, which has one play longer than 32 yards this season.

One reason for Cincinnati’s slow start offensively is they’ve played some above-average defensive teams. The Bengals are averaging 3.7 yards per rush, but their foes are allowing just 3.6 yards per carry on the season. While the team’s 166 passing yards per game isn’t what you expect from the Bengals, their opponents are allowing 179.8 yards per game, so they’re not too far off the pace.

What could hurt the Bengals down the road is their 0-2 division record and 0-3 conference record. It doesn’t help in the tiebreakers when the NFL divisions teams record is so poor. After head-to-head play, division and conference records are the next things that get looked at.

Cincinnati’s defense really hasn’t been up to the challenge of picking up the slack for the offense. The Bengals are allowing 23.5 points per game and are allowing 5.1 yards per rush. The passing defense has been average, but not good enough to cover for the poor rushing defense.

Cardinals Playing Teams Tough

Many people said the Cardinals had the worst roster in the league heading into the season. Arizona certainly hasn’t set the world on fire with its 1-3 record, but the Cardinals aren’t getting blown out each week. They’ve had chances in two of their three losses this season.

Joshua Dobbs is doing a decent job filling in for Kyler Murray. He’s thrown for 814 yards and four touchdowns on the year. More importantly, he hasn’t thrown an interception and Arizona has to keep the big mistakes down to stick around in games.

The rushing game has been solid with James Connor. He’s rushed for 318 yards and two touchdowns. Arizona is averaging 5.3 yards per carry, so the ground game is working.

The Bengals vs Cardinals preview notes Arizona’s defense hasn’t been that impressive. The Cardinals are allowing 25.5 points per game, with their pass defense the biggest culprit. Arizona is allowing 242.5 passing yards per game and 7.5 yards per pass attempt. Those types of numbers typically don’t cut it in the NFL.

What to Expect

The Bengals have to come out and get back to basics. Teams can press when things are going bad, but Cincinnati has too many good NFL players to let that happen. The Bengals may be able to get some sort of rushing attack going against the Cardinals’ run defense, which isn’t all that impressive.

The Cardinals should try to run the ball as much as possible against a Cincinnati team that hasn’t shown it to stop the ground game. The Bengals are allowing 157 rushing yards per game. It’s no surprise they’ve been on the wrong end of the NFL scores three times in four games.

The Cardinals will look to pass a bit to keep Cincinnati from crowding the box too much. It’s not crucial for Arizona to have a lot of success through the air. Just enough to make sure the Bengals respect the pass.

Who to Bet On?

The Bengals vs Cardinals preview notes there’s been a huge move in the point spread from the early lines posted during the summer. There, the Bengals were favored by 7.5. Now, it’s down to a field goal. The Bengals don’t inspire much confidence as a road favorite right now. But there’s not much in the way of value on the Cardinals at a short price.

Given Cincinnati’s offensive woes and the fact Arizona should have a bit of success on the ground, the under 44.5 looks like the best bet in this game.

For NFL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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