Bengals taking on new role for betting markets in the most favorable matchup they've had so far this season

The Cincinnati Bengals are going from underdogs to favorites following their upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Cincinnati spent its last five games trying to play spoiler. Things were so bleak with Jake Browning underwhelming and Joe Flacco being tossed into the fire that the club was fighting against spreads greater than 10 points in back-to-back weeks.

As the page turns to NFL Week 8, the Bengals are now back as favorites to win on a Sunday.

Bengals open as heavy favorite over struggling Jets

The opening line for the Bengals’ Week 8 matchup against the New York Jets is 5.5 points, with Cincy being the favorite. The last time the Bengals were favored was in Week 2, which was also the last time Joe Burrow started a game this season. Burrow and Browning helped cover a 3-point spread with a 31-27 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

New York comes in as a notable underdog due to not only an 0-7 record, but a quarterback conundrum as well. The Jets benched Justin Fields Sunday for backup Tyrod Taylor during their loss to the Carolina Panthers. Neither QB played particularly well, and head coach Aaron Glenn hasn't announced which signal-caller will start in Cincinnati.

Confidence in the guy under center has such tremendous weight regarding the spread. The Bengals couldn't manufacture any sort of offense in the weeks after Burrow's injury until Flacco arrived and got his feet settled. The 40-year old passed for 342 yards and three touchdowns against Pittsburgh last Thursday night, and Cincinnati needed every single yard and score to hand the Steelers a loss.

Flacco is playing inspiring football, and the Bengals should be feeling good about themselves for the time being. A meeting against the lone winless team in the NFL should result in a second consecutive win.

Expectations have been set, and Cincinnati will look to get back to .500 this Sunday.

Bengals' 2025 record against the Spread

• 3-4 against the spread
• 2-0 straight up as the favorite
• 1-4 straight up as the underdog