So what exactly will new head coach Zac Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan have in store for the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense in 2019-20 and beyond? That’s precisely what those attacking the team’s futures odds at online sportsbooks are trying to figure out after struggling to grasp what Marvin Lewis and the previous regime tried to do the last three seasons. More importantly, how will the changes shake up a stagnant offense that ranked No. 26 overall, No. 24 in passing and No. 21 in rushing with Andy Dalton at the helm? The “Red Rifle” will once again leading the Bengals offense under center and he’ll be looking to improve upon last year’s injury shortened campaign with modest passing yards and passing touchdown props bestowed upon him.
Total Passing Yards: 3750.5
Total Passing TD: 21.5
Dalton is widely considered an average quarterback in sports betting and fantasy football circles. But going by his career stats, oddsmakers are expecting him to outperform his average passing yards in the regular season, but come up short of surpassing his average touchdowns thrown through eight overall seasons. To date, Dalton has averaged throwing for 3,512.5 yards per season to go along with 23.5 touchdown passes. The implementation of Zac Taylor’s offense brought over from his days with the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins looks to have linemakers a bit bullish on this season’s output. It makes sense considering AJ Green is one of the best receivers in the game when healthy, and Tyler Boyd introducing himself to the fantasy world in his absence a season ago. John Ross also showed glimpses of stardom, and then there’s the running back tandem in the backfield with both Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard each readily able to catch passes out of the backfield and make hay. While the defense is likely to stink once again, the offense has a heartbeat and Dalton will be at the center of it all provided he stays healthy or avoids getting benched for much lesser and inexperienced options.
Seasonal Scenario
To put it mildly, the Bengals aren’t competing for the AFC North crown let alone having a shot of representing the AFC in Super Bowl LIV. It’s currently a 185-1 longshot to be the last team standing as well as a +2550 underdog to shockingly win the division. In other words, the Bengals won’t be looking to its ground attack to milk the clock many times this season. So, the Bengals will no doubt be playing catchup in a bulk of their matchups which bodes extremely well for Dalton to fatten up his passing stats across the board. Whether that ultimately translates into success for those looking to wager on the high side of both imposts remains to be seen, but he definitely has the weapons at his disposal to do so.
Cincinnati Bengals Football Schedule
Week 1: Bengals at Seahawks, Sunday, September 8, 4:05 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 2: 49ers at Bengals, Sunday, September 15, 1 p.m. ET - FOX
Week 3: Bengals at Bills, Sunday, September 22, 1 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 4: Bengals at Steelers, Monday, September 30, 8:15 p.m. ET - ESPN
Week 5: Cardinals at Bengals, Sunday, October 6, 1 p.m. ET - FOX
Week 6: Bengals at Ravens, Sunday, October 13, 1 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 7: Jaguars at Bengals, Sunday, October 20, 1 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 8: Bengals at Rams, Sunday, October 27, 1 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 9: Bye Week
Week 10: Ravens at Bengals, Sunday, November 10, 1 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 11: Bengals at Raiders, Sunday, November 17, 4:25 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 12: Steelers at Bengals, Sunday, November 24, 1 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 13: Jets at Bengals, Sunday, December 1, 1 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 14: Bengals at Browns, Sunday, December 8, 1 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 15: Patriots at Bengals, Sunday, December 15, 1 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 16: Bengals at Dolphins, Sunday, December 22, 1 p.m. ET - CBS
Week 17: Browns at Bengals, Sunday, December 29, 1 p.m. ET - CBS
Schedule Breakdown
While things often change on a year-to-year basis in the NFL, the Bengals aren’t expected to make much hay in the passing game the first half of the season. Only two of Cincinnati’s first eight opponents had below average pass defenses with the other six ranking out amongst the league’s elite. On top of that, five of those matchups will be played away from the comforts of Paul Brown Stadium with games set to go at Seattle, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Los Angeles against the Rams. The second half of the season offers up some breathing room and with it the opportunity to rack up some solid counting stats. Even so, Dalton’s schedule strength ranks No. 31 out of a possible 32 with the latter being the toughest schedule for opposing quarterbacks. Only one of Cincinnati’s final six games will be played in a warm climate, and all but one of 16 games will be played outdoors.
The Bets
The Bengals are going to be playing from a deficit a ton this season. Its defense just isn’t very good. With that, many opportunities will be there for Dalton to rack up some big stats in garbage time. The veteran has only surpassed 3750.5 passing yards in a season twice since coming into the league back in 2011-12. Only once in the last five years has he been able to pull off the feat. That said, I’m bullish on Cincy’s offense turning the corner in the first go round of the Taylor regime. There’s loads of talent on hand with Green, Boyd, Ross, Uzomah and Eifert in the mix. While I recommend hitting Dalton’s passing yardage total over the current impost, I’m hesitant in suggesting the same in regards to his passing touchdowns prop at top rated sportsbooks. Joe Mixon is one heck of a running back specimen, and I fully expect him to play a key role when the offense reaches the red zone now in his third season as a professional. I have him pegged as the star of this unit, and with it will come many more touchdowns; of the rushing variety. Either way, Dalton’s real-time passing yards and touchdowns will come very close to the suggested forecasts, so have some Pepto Bismol on hand if you decide to get involved.
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