NFL 'SNF' Week 9: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills betting picks and preview
The Week 9 Sunday NFL slate closes with a bang on "Sunday Night Football," as the 4-3 Cincinnati Bengals will play host to the 5-3 Buffalo Bills in primetime. Most fans will look at this game as the rematch from Damar Hamlin's scary on-field incident last year, but this is also a crucial game in regard to playoff seeding in the AFC.
Let's dive into the game of the year candidate and find some winning bets for Bengals-Bills.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills betting odds and preview
Spread: Bengals -2, Over/under: 49.5, Moneyline: Bengals -130 | Bills +110
The Bengals and Bills entered the season as two of the premier Super Bowl favorites in the AFC, but neither team has lived up to the hype early on.
Cincinnati started the year 1-3 before rattling off three straight wins. Joe Burrow, who was playing through a calf injury for the first few weeks of the season, started slow but is starting to round back into form. As for the Bills, they've lost two of their last four games and nearly fell to the Tyrod Taylor-led New York Giants as 15-point favorites.
This is an opportunity for both teams to make a statement and jump back into the championship discussion. The winner on "Sunday Night Football" will do just that, while the loser will fall further behind in their respective division.
'Sunday Night Football' picks
Over 49 (-115 BetMGM)
Neither offense should have any issue putting up points in this matchup. Burrow finally found his groove in Week 8 by putting up 31 points against an elite San Francisco 49ers defense, and he should keep it rolling against a Bills defense that's struggled against complete offenses. Buffalo even gave up 29 points to Mac Jones and the offensively inept New England Patriots two weeks ago.
Josh Allen plays his best football when he's improvising and pushing the ball down the field, which he'll need to do if Cincinnati jumps out to an early lead. This feels like a high-scoring classic.
Joe Burrow to throw an interception: No (-108 FD)
Burrow didn't look like himself to start the season because of the calf injury he was dealing with week-to-week, but that's finally behind him. After a much-needed bye week, Burrow diced up the 49ers secondary for 283 passing yards and three touchdowns on a season-high 87.5 percent passing. He also recorded season-highs with six rushes for 43 yards.
A healthy Burrow is a confident Burrow. He should be able to play another clean game against a Bills defense that has just one interception over its last five games.
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