Up until last season the Cincinnati Bengals were a contender in the AFC and missed on several opportunities for greater success with a stacked roster. They stumbled last season, having their win total from the previous year sliced in half while missing the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. The window may be closing on the Bengals championship hopes and if they don’t rekindle their winning ways, that window will slam shut on the career of Marvin Lewis. Cincy visits out nation’s capital to take on the Washington Redskins in preseason Week 3 action.
This preseason Week 3 matchup will take place on Sunday, August 27, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. ET at FedEx Field. Watch the game live on FOX.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Cincinnati Bengals +3
Washington Redskins -3
Over/Under 42.5
Odds Analysis
We opened with a fairly safe betting line for this one. Both teams are still figuring some things out and have struggled this postseason. Cincinnati’s defense stood by last week while the Chiefs ran all over them. The Skins are trying to find some rhythm on offense with a new coordinator, new receivers and running back. They will, eventually. Washington is giving the standard field goal with a total that is within reach.
Quarterback Rotation
There is no quarterback controversy of any kind in Cincinnati with Andy Dalton the starter and A.J. McCarron the backup. The Bengals do have Jeff Driskel in camp and he’s destined for the practice squad unless otherwise needed. But we will see Dalton get the start and play at least the first half with McCarron taking over in the second half.
Dalton played most of the first half last week in a loss to the Chiefs completing 7 of 13 passes for 98 yards. He did not throw a touchdown or interception and the first team offense scored two field goals with him in the game. McCarron was 8 of 15 for 93 yards and tossed a pick. Driskel played last week and was 2 of 6 for 13 yards. He’ll likely get a majority of the reps in the finale.
In order to try and avoid another slow start to the regular season, the Redskins have played Kirk Cousins in every preseason game and he will play the first half on Sunday. The Skins are implementing several new pieces in the passing game and as much work Cousins can get with Terrelle Pryor and Josh Doctson, the better.
None of the quarterbacks have looked particularly sharp this preseason, but Jay Gruden needs Cousins to find a rhythm with his new pass-catchers. He’s likely to sit in Week 4, so this becomes a huge game for the offense. Colt McCoy is the backup and will spell Cousins. McCoy led the Skins on a touchdown drive completing 7 of 11 passes for 64 yards against Green Bay.
Coaching History
Cincinnati’s downfall may have started last preseason when, after posting 12 wins and a division title the previous year, they went 1-3. It was the first losing preseason for Lewis in five years. After a dismal performance against the Chiefs, Cincy heads into the worst week in Lewis’ preseason career. His Bengals are just 4-10 in dress rehearsal games.
After going 3-1 in each of his first three preseasons, Gruden has yet to win a game this year. His new look offense has struggled and the Skins have cashed the under in both games and four straight dating back to last season. Gruden owns a 9-5 SU and 8-6 ATS preseason record.
Free ATS Pick
If Week 3 is the dress rehearsal we better see both teams show up for this one. The Bengals were embarrassed by the Chiefs at home last week while the Redskins haven’t had much success with an offense that has plenty of new faces. It’s one thing to practice, but it’s another to do it at game time.
Cousins and the Skins might have a field day against the Bengals secondary that was torched last week. Look for them to take some shots down the field to get the new group of receivers incorporated into the offense. It hasn’t worked so far, but Pryor and Doctson are two talents that can’t be overlooked.
The Bengals moved the ball against KC but they couldn’t punch it in. Having A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert play more than the limited snaps they’ve seen should help in the scoring department. Both teams have struggled defensively which means we could see plenty of points on the board.
NFL Odds: Bengals 27, Redskins 24
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