Ever since star wideout Ja'Marr Chase went down with an injury, many of the best online NFL betting sites have struggled to make sense of the Cincinnati Bengals. Are they still Super Bowl contenders hiding in plain sight? Or are they in a bit of trouble without Chase, who is arguably their offensive lifeline for quarterback Joe Burrow?
On paper, not much of a test awaits them in Week 9. The Bengals will square off on Sunday, November 6, at 1 p.m. EST, against the lowly Carolina Panthers. This is considered a gimme game by many. But upsets are all too common this time of year, and the Panthers have played surprisingly stout defense since leaning fully into a rebuilding season. This is not a team Cincinnati can afford to take lightly, whenever every win is precious as they bide their time until Chase returns.
Before we go any further, though, let's have a look at the latest NFL online betting odds for every game scheduled to take place in Week 9, courtesy of the folks over at Bovada:
| Favorite |  | | Underdog |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | -820 | +570 | Houston Texans |
| New England Patriots | -250 | +205 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Buffalo Bills | -670 | +490 | New York Jets |
| Miami Dolphins | -215 | +180 | Chicago Bears |
| Green Bay Packers | -194 | +162 | Detroit Lions |
| Minnesota Vikings | -186 | +156 | Washington Commanders |
| Cincinnati Bengals | -360 | +290 | Carolina Panthers |
| Los Angeles Chargers | -166 | +140 | Atlanta Falcons |
| Las Vegas Raiders | -124 | +106 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Arizona Cardinals | -134 | +114 | Seattle Seahawks |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | -146 | +124 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Kansas City Chiefs | -650 | +480 | Tennessee Titans |
| Baltimore Ravens | -152 | +128 | New Orleans Saints |
Like always, you'll want to keep checking these online NFL betting odds right up until you place your wagers. Our football betting lines are accurate entering Wednesday, November 2, which gives the NFL oddsmakers plenty of time to make changes prior to kickoff.
If you're still in the market for a place to bet on the NFL, be sure to check out our reviews of the top online sportsbooks. We've compiled all the information you could ever need to find the best NFL betting sites in one convenient location.
Let's now get to our Cincinnati Bengals vs. Carolina Panther picks. We'll hit everything from the outright winner to predictions for the point spread and over/under.
Cincinnati Bengals Shouldn't Need Ja'Marr Chase to Beat Carolina Panthers
Ja'Marr Chase will prove to be a costly absence for the Cincinnati Bengals over the next month or so. In their first game without him last week, they mustered just 13 points in a loss to the Cleveland Browns, and they missed his big-play receiving just as much as the score would suggest.
Still, that game was on the road and versus a Cleveland defense that has been surprisingly frisky. The Panthers won't be nearly as difficult to go through. Carolina is 24th in net yards allowed per passing attempt and 26th in total passing touchdowns allowed. Joe Burrow may not have the weapons to readily top 27 points without Chase in the fold, but the Bengals have just enough speed and athleticism to capitalize on a Panthers secondary that's been two-steps slow all year.
And look, let's not forget about the Bengals defense. They aren't nearly as good as the unit that made the Super Bowl last year, and they've had some hiccups over the past couple of weeks. But Cincinnati has allowed more than 19 points just twice in the past six games. And the two instances in which they were burned came against offenses that were far deeper than the one being rolled out in Carolina.
It's likewise worth noting this is only the Bengals' fourth home game of the year. They've averaged over 27 points per contest in Cincinnati that far. Even if that number gets dragged down without Chase, they should still be able to clear the three-touchdown threshold.
OSB Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals (-360)
Carolina Feels Like a Good Bet to Cover the Spread vs. Cincinnati
Here are the latest NFL point spread betting odds for Bengals vs. Panthers:
- Cincinnati Bengals, -7.5 (-108)
- Carolina Panthers, +7.5 (-112)
As much as Cincinnati has struggled for stretches this year, they've been a pretty steady point spread bet. Entering Week 9, they've covered in five of their eight games. And yet, we don't trust them to cover against Carolina.
Winning by. more than a touchdown is hard enough. It's even harder when one of your offensive superstars is on the shelf. Cincinnati will invariably have to attack on the ground more, and stopping the rush is one of Carolina's defensive strengths.
On top of that, the Panthers have been tough to figure out offensively. They traded star running back Christian McCaffrey and have since combined to score 55 points over their past two games. We don't expect them to win, but with the lack of scouting reports on their primary players these days, the Bengals could struggle more than usual to get stops. We're taking the 7.5 points the Panthers are getting—an especially nice hedge for anyone who doesn't trust Cincinnati to win outright, either.
OSB Prediction: Carolina Panthers, +7.5 (-112)
We Could Be in for a Low-Scoring Affair During Bengals vs. Panthers
Here are the latest NFL over/under betting odds for Panthers vs. Bengals:
- Over 42.5 (-110)
- Under 42.5 (-110)
Typically, when we see an over/under hovering between 40 and 43 points, we're inclined to pounce on the over. We won't be doing that here.
For starters, Carolina and Cincinnati have been "under" darlings all year. The Panthers and Bengals have combined to meet the under in 10 of their 16 total contests. And one of the misses was a push on the part of Cincinnati.
Beyond that, neither is currently touting much assurance on the offensive side. As we've already mentioned, the Bengals don't have Ja'Marr Chase and mustered only 13 points in Week 8. They do have some depth at running back, but the Panthers also have a sound ground defense. And while Carolina has scored at a surprisingly high clip the past two weeks, their lack of definitive offensive talent will have to catch up with them at some point.
One of these teams, in our estimation, will fail to tally 20 points. And that's a recipe for the under.
OSB Prediction: Under 42.5 (-110)
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