The Washington Commanders and the Cincinnati Bengals will face off in the second Monday Night Football doubleheader game on ABC. Joe Burrow and the Bengals will look to avoid a 0-3 start to the season, while the Commanders will look to get above .500 on the road with rookie Jayden Daniels under center.
Burrow and Daniels aren’t similar quarterbacks. They both went to LSU and won the Heisman Award. Burrow took the LSU Tigers to the National Championship and won it. Daniels didn’t. But Daniels is an electric athlete with absolute wheels on him.
We’ll look at our AI Model’s computer picks for Monday’s showdown to see the best bets for this game.
After an 0-2 start, the Bengals are only projected to beat the Washington Commanders 27-22 on Monday Night Football. Cincinnati is still expected to win the game outright but wouldn’t cover the 7.5-point spread. Meanwhile, the Over is stuck at 47 at some top-rated sportsbooks, but our AI Model believes these two teams will combine for 49 points. Therefore, the Over is another play to consider for this game.
Picks Summary
- Commanders +7.5 (-110)
- Over 47 (-110)
*All odds from Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
Washington Commanders vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Monday, September 23, 2024 – 08:15 PM ET at Paycor Stadium
Bengals Need To Avoid 0-2 Start
The Cincinnati Bengals had a lot of distractions to begin the season.
Ja’Marr Chase was looking for a contract extension that never came, and Tee Higgins found himself on the injured list a week before the season began. In addition, Joe Burrow was coming off a season-ending injury, and there were questions about whether his play would ever be the same.
When Week 1 came around, the Bengals looked lost on offense against the Patriots. Cincinnati certainly had its chances to defeat the Patriots, but costly fumbles and missed completions derailed the team at home.
In the second week, the Bengals turned around and gave the Kansas City Chiefs all they could handle. Only to lose that game on a last-second field goal after a borderline pass interference call on fourth down for Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Yet, it sounds like Higgins will be back, and Chase seems up to speed after being limited due to missing practice to begin the season. The offense should be explosive, and after last week’s loss, the Bengals should put on a show at home.
Washington’s defense has become one of the worst in the NFL. The secondary is abysmal, and the missed tackles are very apparent. This game should give the Bengals and their fans confidence again on offense.
Washington Has A Path To Score Too
The Commanders have some big playmakers, too. While the Bengals have been efficient as a secondary, Cincinnati has also missed many tackles and hasn’t looked as good against the run to start the season.
That should make Jayden Daniels’ fantasy owners happy. It’ll also make Washington happy. Daniels should be able to scramble around and pick off first downs in this game. In addition, Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler have done some excellent things on the ground to begin the year. It’s a solid one-two punch in the backfield for Washington.
If the Commanders can commit to the run and find results, they’ll hang on the road in this game.
So far, Robinson leads the Commanders in rushing yards with 173 on just 29 carries. Still, Daniels has added 132 rushing yards in two games, and Ekeler has gained 48 rushing yards on only ten carries. Those guys have earned at least 4.8 rushing yards per carry this year. That’s going to keep them in this game against the Bengals.
The Pick
The Bengals will likely get ahead early in this game. But if the Commanders can find some success rushing the football behind Daniels and Robinson, Washington can keep this game close and ultimately help push this game Over the total.
Therefore, consider the Commanders at +7.5 and the Over 47 for this Monday Night Football battle. It’ll be fun to see the two LSU Heisman quarterbacks getting after it. That’s ultimately why the NFL is carrying this game on Monday Night Football. That’s the storyline that they want everyone talking about.
NFL Pick: Commanders +7.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
NFL Pick: Over 47 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
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