Bills vs Bengals Betting Odds: Allen/Burrow First Time Battle

Allen’s Bills Ever-So-Slightly Favored on ‘MNF’

It’s the hotly anticipated quarterback duel between the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and the Cincinnati Bengals‘ Joe Burrow. The Bills vs Bengals betting odds lean Buffalo by a point as the two meet for the first time in their young careers. Moreover, each team still has a shot to finish atop the AFC. Buffalo is on a six-game winning streak and Cincinnati is on seven. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Game Information

Allen is a Roller Coaster Thrill Ride of a Quarterback

Allen can do it all. He can leap over grown athletes or throw a 90-yard pass as casually as a game of catch. But as a consequence, he tries to do it all and becomes turnover-prone. It’s the biggest knock on him as he has thrown 13 interceptions and fumbled the ball as many times. Most damning are his red zone interceptions: five, which leads the league.

The fifth-year pro has also turned the ball over 11 times in his last nine games. Some have cost Buffalo the game and have made it difficult to trust the NFL team with the Bills vs Bengals betting odds. Buffalo is just 3-6 against the spread (ATS) in this span.

But that has not pushed books from the Bills as Buffalo continues to be lined as chalk. Even against the red-hot Bengals, the Bills are favorites on the NFL lines Week 17.

Still, you can’t too hung up on Allen’s errors. He’s still the most talented quarterback. And outside of his lofty passing totals, Allen also has 746 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Allen’s ability to light teams up by air or ground is what opens up the playbook for Buffalo while giving opposing coaches extra homework.

“Too many great NFL players, they have a great scheme, then put that on top of the quarterback,” Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said of Allen. “It makes it challenging. We have to defend them.”

Speaking of defense, the Bills also have the fourth-best at forcing turnovers (24). It has mitigated the team’s turnover proneness. On top of that, Buffalo also allows the second-fewest points (18) as a road team. It’s a big reason why all but one of its eight road games have gone under the total despite its explosive offense.

Burrow Keeps It Cool

While Allen entertains with his unpredictability, Burrow gets it done in a more traditional sense. The 26-year-old does not run the ball as freely as Allen and he tends to stay in the pocket more. But Burrow finds a way to deliver the ball to his rich crop of receivers even when under siege.

Burrow started the NFL season on a rocky note – throwing four picks in one game. But since then, he’s thrown just eight versus 32 passes (add five rushing TDs). To compliment Burrow, the Bengals’ defense has been “playing lights out” as Allen mentioned.

“Burrow dishing it out and the defense holding it down, Cincinnati has covered a whopping 80 percent of its games – the best in the NFL. The Bengals are also 5-1 ATS as the host.”

Cincinnati has held 11 of its 15 opponents to 23 points or fewer. It is giving up just over 20 points on average (ninth-best in the NFL). With Burrow dishing it out and the defense holding it down, Cincinnati has covered a whopping 80 percent of its games – the best in the NFL. The Bengals are also 5-1 ATS as the host.

If they keep it up, the team will be a sharp bet not only on the Bills vs Bengals betting odds but also the outrights. The Bengals odds to win Super Bowl LVII will keep shortening with each emphatic win. A test against Buffalo, “the team to beat” according to wide receiver Tee Higgins, will be a litmus test for them.

Additionally, the sportsbook have this game as the second-highest scoring with a total of 49.5. Even if Buffalo’s and Cincinnati’s games have trended to the under, a back-and-forth between Allen and Burrow is a possibility. Either way, be prepared to be entertained.
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