Oddsmakers change their tune when looking at the Bengals’ first game after being eliminated from playoff contention
The Bengals went from underdogs to favorites in Week 16.
The Cincinnati Bengals couldn’t have beaten any team last week when they scored zero points against the Baltimore Ravens, and their 24-point loss at home certainly impacted how oddsmakers first projected their upcoming road game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 16.
Cincinnati opened as 1.5-point underdogs to Miami Sunday evening, a full 24 hours before the Dolphins took on the Pittsburgh Steelers on “Monday Night Football.” Miami then proceeded to lose by 13 points in Pittsburgh, and were at one point down by 25 points.
Both teams lost terribly this past week and both losses eliminated them from contending for the playoffs, but those in charge of setting point spreads seem to care more about one loss compared to the other.
Bengals are now road favorites against Dolphins
The line has now moved in the Bengals’ favor as they are now 1-point favorites against Miami.
Bengals’ 2025 record against the spread
- 6-8 against the spread
- 2-1 straight up as the favorite
- 2-9 straight up as the underdog
This is just the fourth game this year Cincinnati has been favored to win. They were last favored in Week 8 against the New York Jets when the line was 6.5-points. New York won that game, 39-38, and the Bengals have been underdogs ever since. They did win their first two games of the year as favorites against the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars, but only covered against the Jags.
Cincinnati’s record against the spread is better than its actual win-loss record, and before last week, the Bengals had covered three weeks in a row for the first time this season. This stretch included their win over the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving night, which was their second and most recent win as an underdog this year.
Covering the spread for this week would almost surely equal a win for Cincinnati, barring a one-point victory. The Bengals last played the Dolphins back in 2022, winning 27-15 in Week 4 of that season. They split their previous four meetings from 2016-2020.
The sportsbooks see a close game between two teams without anything to play for beyond pride and professionalism. A win for Cincinnati would secure a better record for Zac Taylor than the last time his Bengals finished below .500 in 2020 when they ended the season at 4-11-1.
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