Week 2 of the NFL season is in the books, and now we head on to Week 3! This is probably one of the absolute best times to be betting on football. Not only do you start to see your preseason predictions play out live, but you also have the opportunity to pick up on trends and patterns before the market can adequately adjust.
Battles between 1-1 teams are always super interesting because you have two teams that haven’t played themselves out of contention yet. The future is bright, and both of these teams will be fighting for their lives to make sure they don’t start 1-2.
Both the Bengals and Steelers are coming off of a loss, but I expect that to motivate them even more. Both teams have tough schedules ahead and can’t afford back-to-back losses this early in the season.
Best Bet: Steelers -3 (-115) at DraftKings
For in-depth analysis on this NFL bet of the day, continue reading. Please note that all odds are current as of Friday, September 24.
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Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction
The Bengals are coming into this year with a bit of a frustrating start. They won a close game against the Vikings in Week 1 but lost to their NFC North counterparts last week.
It hasn’t been a pretty start to the season, but Bengals fans should be impressed by their ability to stay competitive in these close games.
The Steelers have shown us two things thus far, both in their win against Buffalo and their loss to Las Vegas. They have a really good defense and a very bad offense.
One of the biggest issues coming into the season was the lack of offensive line talent, and it’s showing to be a big issue. Struggling to have a fluid drive against the Raiders defense really says something about your offensive capabilities.
The best unit between both of these teams is going to be the Steelers’ defense. While Derek Carr had more success last week than Josh Allen had in Week 1, this defense is still a unit to be scared of. They completely shut down the run game last week and held Kenyan Drake to 32 yards on 9 carries and Peyton Barber to 32 yards on 13 carries.
I’m a fan of Joe Burrow and this Bengals offense, but they may be getting slightly more credit than they deserve so far. They beat the Vikings due to a bad call on a fumble, along with the Vikings having 100+ given away due to penalties. Cincinnati followed that up by losing to the Bears, despite Andy Dalton going down with an injury and Justin Fields not looking particularly good.
Overall, this game comes down to defense, and Joe Burrow threw 3 interceptions last week against a solid Bears defense. When you upgrade that to a top-five defensive unit in the NFL, the Steelers are going to wreak havoc on the Bengals’ offensive front.
Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Cincinnati Bengals 16
After struggling against the Raiders defense in Week 2, running back Najee Harris and the Pittsburgh Steelers look to bounce-back against the Bengals in Week 3. (Image: USA TODAY)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Best Bets
Best Bet: Steelers -3 (-115) at DraftKings
This line opened up at Steelers -4.5, which I believed was actually a fair number for this game at the time. The Steelers are better than the Bengals, but -3 now just feels too small, and I hope that you listened to me and waited until later in the week to get the better number.
There is plenty of value on the Steelers here. Offensive line versus defensive line matchups is one of the first things I look at before betting a game and can be a huge deciding factor. The Bengals famously choose to select Ja’Marr Chase, a wide receiver, over Penei Sewell, an offensive lineman, in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and it shows.
With one of the best defensive players in the league in T.J. Watt, along with a strong supporting cast of Cameron Heyward and Devin Bush, this defense brings the pressure every single week.
The Bengals have allowed Joe Burrow to be sacked 4 and 5 times in their two games this season. If the Vikings and Bears could bring that kind of pressure, then the Bengals are going to have some stressful nights game planning this week.
Best Bet: Under 44 (-110) at BetMGM
Both of these teams have some pretty interesting trends towards the under. The Steelers play at a fairly slow pace and have covered the under in both games this year. The Bengals are currently 1-1 with the under this season, but only really covered due to overtime against the Vikings.
The Steelers are going to make the Bengals play some old-fashioned football, and that’s going to be a tough ask. This game should follow a familiar game script in that the Steelers defense plays great, but the offense can’t capitalize on those stops.
The Bengals do have the ability to score quickly at times with big-play receivers like Chase, but I think they will struggle downfield against All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Cincinnati isn’t a bad team, but this is going to be a tough matchup against the Steelers.
Bengals vs. Steelers Same Game Parlay Picks: +190 at DraftKings
- Steelers Moneyline (-165) at DraftKings
- Under 44.5 (-135) at DraftKings
Don’t trust the Steelers to cover that spread? Boy, do I have the solution for you.
If you’re expecting a sloppy football game with this matchup, then forgo the spread and stick with the Steelers moneyline to add some really good security to this parlay.
Now, you’re essentially just betting on the under to hit, but you get to parlay it with a strong favorite to get those juicy plus-money odds.
I’m expecting Joe Burrow to get off to a bit of a slow start in this one. When the option becomes available on DraftKings, Joe Burrow to throw an interception would be a good addition to this parlay. It fits the picture we’re painting with this game and would be another boost to some already good odds.
Thanks for reading our Bengals vs. Steelers Week 3 Predictions! Check out more of our NFL Week 3 predictions and bet tips here.
