Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

NFL Week 4: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tennessee Titans betting picks, preview

By Griffin Carroll | Last updated Sep 28, 2023 7:18 PM ET

We've got a pair of 1-2 AFC teams meeting with Cincinnati and Tennessee this Sunday. The Bengals are off a short-week but grabbed their first win, while the Titans were just blown out. Which direction can we expect this one to go?

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tennessee Titans: Betting Odds

Spread: Cincinnati -2.5, Over/under: 40.5 points, Cincinnati -148 | Tennessee +124

Cincinnati grabbed a much-needed win over the Rams on "Monday Night Football," winning 19-16. Joe Burrow was questionable leading up to the match with his ongoing calf issue, but that didn't stop him from throwing the ball 49 times. We have yet to see a quintessential Joe Burrow game, but we're getting there after he found Ja'Marr Chase 12 times for 141 yards.

Meanwhile for Tennessee, they were completely dismantled by Cleveland, losing 27-3. Ryan Tannehill seems cooked, respectfully. He's thrown just one touchdown this season to three interceptions, the latter of which all occurred in Week 3. He's averaging less than 200 yards per game and competing just 59% of his passes. At a certain point, the Titans seem destined to try out one of their two young QBs in Malik Willis or Will Levis.

Cincinnati is 0-2-1 ATS this year and Tennessee is 2-1. Both teams are 2-1 to the under thus far.

Betting Picks for Cincinnati vs. Tennessee

Cincinnati -2.5 (-112 DraftKings)

This one all comes down to the passing game. And when I say passing game, I mean the Bengals offense against the Titans defense. Tennessee has a great run defense both with their players and the early-season stats. But that doesn't even matter.

The Titans secondary is absolutely atrocious in every sense of the word. They're allowing the sixth-most 20+ yard passes this year, the fourth-highest yards per pass attempt, and they've had no answer for slowing down team's top receivers.

On the other end is a Bengals team that throws the football at the second-highest rate this season and most definitely has the star receivers who can take advantage of a defense like this.

Joe Burrow gutted it out this past Monday to help Cincy avoid 0-3, and it's for moments like this. Cincinnati is behind three 2-1 teams in the AFC North and needs to claw to .500. This is the spot to do it. I expect an easy win and a premier Joe Burrow game. Take the points and run.

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Griffin Carroll

Griffin Carroll is focused on bringing you the betting numbers that matter. With a focus on the NFL, NHL and NBA, Griffin relies on a data-driven betting approach for prop bets, spread picks and over/unders.

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