Cincinnati had two chances to win on Sunday but left with a loss. Detroit, for the second time this season, experienced a punch to the gut with a loss at the buzzer. The two will meet Sunday in Detroit.
The Bengals enter with a 3-2 record after a 25-22 overtime loss to Green Bay, while the Lions are still searching for their first win of the season after a 19-17 heartbreaker to Minnesota.
Game Odds
Sportsbook has opened the line with the Bengals a 3-point favorite and both teams with -110 odds to cover. The Bengals are -165 on the Moneyline, while Detroit is +145 straight up. Sportsbooks also has the Over/Under set at 47.5 with -110 odds on either side of the number.
Burrow Clear
Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow was taken to the hospital after Sunday’s loss to check on a throat contusion. It was just a minor scare, and the second-year QB from LSU should be good to go on Sunday. For the season, Burrow has passed for 1,269 yards with 11 touchdowns and has a 55.1 QBR which is 14th in the NFL.
1-2 Punch in Backfield
Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift have given the Lions solid production in the backfield. Williams led the team in rushing last week with 57 yards on the ground and has 244 yards with two scores for the season.
Swift, in his second year out of Georgia, added 104 yards from scrimmage last week and put the Lions ahead with a 7-yard score with 37 seconds left in the game. Swift has 190 yards on the ground and is now the team’s leader with 29 receptions and 252 yards receiving.
Dude, Where’s T.J.?
After a hot start, the Lions’ tight end T.J. Hockenson has had three straight quiet weeks. Hockenson has tallied just eight receptions for 74 yards in the last three games combined and is now second on the team with 232 yards for the season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown may be a reason for the decline in Hockenson’s numbers as he has hauled in 13 catches for 135 yards over the last two games.
Leading Rookie of Year Candidate?
Ja’Marr Chase hauled in six passes for a career-high 159 yards during Sunday’s loss. Chase has been Burrow’s favorite target this season as he has 23 receptions for a team-high 456 yards and is second in the NFL with five touchdowns.
Injury Report
Both the Bengals and Lions will be without a key piece in this one. Cincinnati running back Samaje Perine tested positive for COVID and will be out after he led the team in rushing last week with 59 yards in addition to 24 receiving yards.
Perine saw an uptick in his reps on Sunday due to Joe Mixon nursing an injury, but Mixon (386 yards, 3 TDs) should be back to his full workload this week.
Quintez Cephus, who is third on the Lions in receiving yards with 204, will miss the remainder of the season after breaking his collarbone in Sunday’s loss.
Trends
Cincinnati has won the last six games in the series and is 5-1 against the spread in those games, including 5-0 in the last five.
Detroit has lost nine straight games overall but is 4-2 ATS in its last six games.
Cincinnati has won just two games on the road over its last 20 road contests.
The Over has hit in 4 of the last six meetings between the two teams.