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Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Rams Odds & Game Pick

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For this game, we head across the pond to London for the matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams. The Bengals will be heavy underdogs, as they search for their first win of the season. The Rams, however, are the favorites as the labeled home team, as they look to build confidence and get back on track.

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Bengals vs Rams Odds and Info

All odds taken from FanDuel Sportsbook.

  • Opening Lines:LAR -13, O/U 48.0
  • Moneyline: CIN: (+460) | LAR: (-600)
  • Spread: CIN: +13 (-110) | LAR: -13 (-110)
  • Total: 48.5 – Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
  • Location: Wembley Stadium – London, England
  • Start Time: 1 pm ET
  • Coverage: CBS

Injuries

  • Cincinnati Bengals: WR A.J. Green (D), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (D), DE Carl Lawson (Q), OT Andre Smith (Q), DE Carlos Dunlap (Q), CB Darqueze Dennard (Q)
  • Los Angeles Rams: LB Clay Matthews (Out), LB Bryce Hager (Q), CB Troy Hill (Q), RB Malcolm Brown (Q)

View consensus picks from 100+ experts for the Bengals at Rams >>

Overview

The Bengals can’t do anything right in America, so maybe heading overseas will suit them better. Cincinnati has been competitive in nearly every game this season. Excluding the two blowouts against the 49ers and Steelers, the Bengals lost the other five games by an average of 4.8 points, mostly due to the production from Andy Dalton and the passing game. They are averaging nearly 275 passing yards per game, with unlikely names like Auden Tate and Alex Erickson stepping up and chipping in with high-yardage receiving days. However, the Bengals are the worst running team both offensively and defensively, averaging 53.1 yards per game but allowing 5.2 yards per rush.

The Rams came away with an easy win over the Falcons last week, 37-10, after dropping the previous three games. Struggles for this Rams team stem from two areas: the offensive line and quarterback play. After being one of the top units in the NFL last season, the Rams’ offensive line has struggled this year, allowing Jared Goff to be pressured 136 times through seven weeks. Meanwhile, Goff has been terrible under pressure, seeing his completion percentage drop from 73.4 percent to 42.5 percent when he sees pressure. The key to the Rams’ success will be to keep a clean pocket for Goff, as the defense has been doing their job in recent weeks, and the addition of cornerback Jalen Ramsey was a big boost as well.

Trends

  • Cincinnati is averaging 16.3 points per game (PPG) this season (No. 28 in the NFL).
  • Cincinnati is surrendering 26.6 PPG this season (No. 25 in the NFL).
  • Cincinnati is 2-4 against the spread (ATS) in its last six games.
  • The Rams are averaging 27.1 PPG this season (No. 8 in the NFL).
  • The Rams are surrendering 23.4 PPG this season (No. 19 in the NFL).
  • The Rams are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games.
  • The under has hit in six of the last nine games for the Rams.
  • Cincinnati leads the all-time series with the Rams, 8-5.
  • Last Meeting: November 29, 2015 — The Bengals defeated the Rams, 31-7, at Paul Brown Stadium.

Prop Bet

All odds taken from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Home Team (Rams) Total Points: Under 31 (-116)
Technically, the Rams are the home team in this London game, but it does not mean much with the neutral field. The Rams are averaging 27.1 points per game this season, while Cincinnati is allowing 26.6 points per game. The Rams have hit over this point total just once this season. Cincinnati has not allowed anyone to go over this total in their last five games, and only allowed one team to do it all season, which was the 49ers, an elite running team, which the Rams are not. With the foreign atmosphere for these players, the under for this Rams offense, and for the entire game, should be a good play.

Bottom Line

The Bengals are bad and will almost definitely lose this game, but the fact that they have hung around in games should give confidence that they can clear the double-digit spread on a neutral field. The key to this working is Cincinnati getting pressure on Goff, which I think they will be able to do. Last week, they were able to pressure Gardner Minshew on 25 plays, totaling two sacks. As long as they hurry Goff, he will make mistakes, opening the door for a rare play to be made by this defense. Offensively, Andy Dalton continues to be solid enough to put up points for Cincinnati, just not good enough to make winning plays.

Pick: Cincinnati Bengals +13

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Check out our other NFL Sports Betting Guides for Week 8

Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills (-2)
Los Angeles Chargers at Chicago Bears (-4)
New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars (-6)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans (-2.5)
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons (+7)
New York Giants at Detroit Lions (-6)
Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts (-4.5)
Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans (-6.5)
Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints (-10.5)
Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots (-11)
Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers (-5)
Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs (+4.5)
Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers (-14)

Zach Brunner is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Zach, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyFlurry.