Cincinnati Bengals vs. New England Patriots December 24 Betting Preview

The Cincinnati Bengals will go on the road against the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve to test their six-game winning streak. The Bengals are now 10-4 after rattling off six straight to lead the AFC North. 

The Patriots are 7-7 with work to do to make the playoffs. They sit in third in their division and behind the Dolphins, Chargers, and Ravens in the wild card hunt.

The Bengals took care of business on the road in Tampa Bay last weekend after overcoming a 17-point deficit to beat the Buccaneers by a score of 34-23. 

Joe Burrow threw for 200 yards and four touchdowns in the win. The Bengals defense was able to hold the Buccaneers scoreless in the third quarter as the Bengals added 34 unanswered points.

The Patriots are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend as they were tied going into the final seconds of the game with the ball. 

A last-second run turned into a lateral play where Jakobi Meyers made an errant lateral while trying to make a play which was intercepted by the Raiders and taken back for a game-winning touchdown. This was the Patriots’ third loss in four games.

Let’s look ahead at this AFC matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots on Saturday afternoon.

Odds

The Bengals are the road favorites in this matchup because of their recent success at home and on the road in the past six games. 

At -3, the Bengals have odds of (-114). The Patriots have odds of (-107) to cover the three-point spread at home. For the moneyline, the Bengals and Patriots have odds of (-173) and (+143), respectively, to win the game outright. 

Key Team Stats

Offensively, the Bengals have the fifth-best offense in the NFL by putting up an average of 26.4 points per game. 

They also rank fourth in third down conversions, touchdowns per game, and touchdown scoring percentage in the red zone. They protect the ball well, only giving up one turnover per game, which ranks third in the league.

On the defensive side, the Bengals give up the tenth least points at 20.6. They do this by limiting touchdowns to their opposition, as they only give up two touchdowns per game on average, which ranks fourth in the league. 

This double-headed juggernaut is one of the main reasons that the Bengals are at the top of their division.

The New England offense is the 17th best in the nation at 21.4 points per game, but their defense outshines the Bengals, only allowing 19.2 points per game. 

Their defense has been their main safety net to fall back on to win them games. They allow only 0.4 touchdowns per game to running backs which is the best in the NFL, and their sack percentage is third in the league at 9.21 percent.

With the results of last night's game between the Jaguars and the Jets, the Bengals have officially clinched a spot back in the playoffs. Can they win the AFC North?