Bengals vs. Titans Week 12 matchup preview and current betting lines
If you appreciate the butterfly effect, then you know that the Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) and Tennessee Titans (7-3) played a key role in deciding last year’s Super Bowl winner. Had the Bengals not upset the top-seeded Titans in the divisional round, we could have seen Patrick Mahomes make his first road playoff start in Tennessee. Who knows what happens in that case. Maybe the Chiefs are in their third straight Super Bowl, maybe the Rams are still without a ring under Sean McVay, or maybe Derrick Henry is the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
It was a big upset when the Bengals won 19-16, but mostly because of how they did it. The Bengals became the second team in NFL history to win a game after allowing nine sacks and failing to score 20 points. Ryan Tannehill had a miserable game with an interception on the first play of the game, a red-zone interception on his first pass of the third quarter, and an interception on his last pass at midfield to set up Cincinnati’s game-winning field goal.
But Tannehill has been a rock for this team in the regular season, and he has played very well the last two weeks in wins over Denver and Green Bay. Joe Burrow has also played well coming into this one with a big win in Pittsburgh where he threw four touchdowns with three of them coming to his backup running back (Samaje Perine) as Joe Mixon left with a concussion.
The Bengals could be getting Ja’Marr Chase (hip) back for this one, which just adds to the intrigue and making the Bengals a better team. The NFL Week 12 odds have the Bengals as a 3-point road favorite with a total of 42.5 points. Can the Bengals win again in Tennessee, or will the Titans avenge that playoff loss and move to a league-best 9-2 ATS?
Players to watch in the Bengals vs. Titans game
Cincinnati Bengals
Samaje Perine: It will be interesting to see if Joe Mixon can go, or if the Bengals will have to rely on Perine, who hasn’t carried the ball more than 13 times in a game since he was with the 2017 Redskins. Perine is a third-down receiving back who has made some huge touchdowns and plays for Burrow in this offense, but he draws a tough matchup here as the Titans have been shutting down everyone’s running game for months.
Tennessee Titans
Treylon Burks: The rookie may not be the greatest choice to replace A.J. Brown in 2022, but he had a breakout game in Green Bay with seven catches for 111 yards. He’ll have to play big like that as Brown had over 100 yards against the Bengals in the playoffs and was the team’s best player that day. Burks needs to be a deep threat for the Titans.
Our Best NFL Bets for the Bengals vs. Titans game
We have two NFL Week 12 predictions for this critical playoff rematch in Tennessee.
Bengals vs. Titans Point Spread Pick: Titans +3 (-120)
The Bengals vs. Titans spread opened with the Bengals as a 1.5-point road favorite before moving in Cincinnati’s favor to -2.5 or -3 going into the weekend. The news on Chase is likely going to affect the final line the most.
Turnovers are what killed the Titans in the playoff game last year. In the second half, the Titans had a 45-yard run and a 40-yard pass and only got three points out of those two drives. They also were stopped on a fourth-and-1 run with Derrick Henry at the Cincinnati 35 in the fourth quarter.
If the Titans can control the turnovers and win the battle in the trenches, they should win this game. They won’t get nine sacks again, but they will get pressure on Burrow and make this offense one dimensional by taking away the run. If Chase plays, it is safe to assume he won’t be 100%. Getting those key pressures on third down will decide this one.
If this was a playoff game, I would say fade the Titans. But under head coach Mike Vrabel in the regular season, this is a perfect spot for them to be an underdog who steps up and delivers. In the NFL, the balanced, physical teams still win the majority of battles against the pass-happy teams like Cincinnati. Take the Titans to cover for your NFL bet of the week.
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Bet on NFL with caesars >Team Total: Bengals Under 22.5 Points (-105)
The Bengals have four games this season where they did not score more than 20 points. Three of those games were on the road, and three of those games were with Chase playing the full game.
All the games shared something in common: Cincinnati’s offensive line getting beat up by the front seven. The Titans owned them last year with the nine sacks, and this year the defense has only allowed more than 22 points in one game (Buffalo) while shutting down the run almost every week. The Titans have not allowed 100 rushing yards since Week 2, and it is hard to see the Bengals getting much going on the ground with the No. 28 rushing attack.
We saw Patrick Mahomes have to drop back over 70 times to beat these Titans with Malik Willis at quarterback taking the Chiefs into overtime at Arrowhead. That front is nasty when it wants to be, and the Titans should be seeking some revenge for that playoff loss last January.
The Titans are also No. 1 on third down, only allowing a conversion 30.1% of the time. The Bengals have moved up to No. 12 in yards per play after spending a good chunk of the early season near the bottom, but they are more methodical this year. If the Titans can get those third-down stops, then it should be another frustrating game for the Bengals to keep the streak alive of not allowing more than 22 points to a team.
bet on NFL with draftkings >Frequently asked questions about the Bengals vs. Titans game in Week 12
The game is being played at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Since 2019, the Titans are 18-10 ATS (64.3%), one of the best records in the league. That includes a 6-3 ATS record as a home underdog.
You can always find more at our player prop picks and daily NFL predictions.