by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Nov 03, 2022
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Where to watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Bengals -7.5
FanDuel: Bengals -7.5
BetMGM: Bengals -7.5
Caesars: Bengals -7.5
Season record
Panthers: 2-6
Bengals: 4-4
November is here, the midway mark is here in the NFL season, and there's a lot of good football left to be played. Have you been keeping up with the NFC East? It's insane, right? What about what happened in the trade market this week? Even more insane! The landscape of the NFL has suddenly changed, and this week will be the first time to actually see what transpires. Our champion handicappers are killing it this NFL season. Jack Banks is sitting with a 13-8-0 mark over the last month, and Sean Murphy was even better with a 6-1-0 run this last week. What will our guys do this week with an enticing week coming up? Make sure you're plugged to bigal.com to find out!
Panthers - Bengals preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Panthers: lost 37-34 (OT) at Falcons
Bengals: lost 32-13 at Browns (Monday Night)
So, the first game of the Cincinnati Bengals without Ja'Marr Chase went absolutely horrendous in the worst way possible. Is this a sign of things to come? Normally, I'd say yes, but that would mean I think the Bengals are losing to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Which, have you seen the Panthers at all this season?
Thought so. It won't matter who is, or isn't, lining up at receiver to catch passes from Joe Burrow this week. It's likely going to be the fireworks show coming back to Cincinnati after the Bengals got thrashed on Halloween by the Cleveland Browns this past Monday by the tune of 32-13. It hasn't been the greatest run of form this year for the reigning AFC champs, but I'd chalk this up to just a bad day at the office for Burrow, who hasn't had many in his short NFL career.
Burrow threw for 232 yards and two garbage-time touchdowns, but was picked off and also lost a fumble. If it weren't for the fact my fantasy week matchup was well in doubt, that might have screwed me and the rest of us this week. But the Bengals are 4-4 and have plenty of good football left in them at the halfway mark, considering the AFC North is nowhere near decided at the moment.
"The game was 25-0 before you even know it," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. "We just didn't come back. The worst thing to do against the Cleveland Browns is to give them a two, three score lead with their running game and their pass rush."
Myles Garrett dominated, Nick Chubb ran like wild fire. Nothing more you can do in that situation.
Burrow has thrown at least two touchdown passes in three straight games, along with a quarterback rating of at least 95. At home, Joe Cool is unlike anything we've seen. In five of his last six home starts, Burrow has thrown at least 325 yards and two touchdowns. His 2,329 passing yards are tops in the NFL. Of course, that has a lot to do with Chase on his outside, but the Bengals are talented enough to get enough from Tee Higging and Tyler Boyd when needed.
And I think it's safe to say that the Panthers will not, under any circumstance, be in a position where DJ Moore will catch a potential game-winning touchdown and throw his helmet off to penalize his team 15 yards in a first-place-in-the-division football game, because that would require the Bengals' defense to just crumble and falter into the Earth.
"I've got to understand that there's still time on the clock," Moore said. "It was a natural reaction, but you've still got to know you can't do that."
There's no denying what P.J. Walker did last week, throwing for 317 yards and that miraculous Hail Mary touchdown to at least give Carolina a chance to win. But the Steve Wilks experiment can only last for so long before it goes haywire.
So, the first game of the Cincinnati Bengals without Ja'Marr Chase went absolutely horrendous in the worst way possible. Is this a sign of things to come? Normally, I'd say yes, but that would mean I think the Bengals are losing to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Which, have you seen the Panthers at all this season?
Thought so. It won't matter who is, or isn't, lining up at receiver to catch passes from Joe Burrow this week. It's likely going to be the fireworks show coming back to Cincinnati after the Bengals got thrashed on Halloween by the Cleveland Browns this past Monday by the tune of 32-13. It hasn't been the greatest run of form this year for the reigning AFC champs, but I'd chalk this up to just a bad day at the office for Burrow, who hasn't had many in his short NFL career.
Burrow threw for 232 yards and two garbage-time touchdowns, but was picked off and also lost a fumble. If it weren't for the fact my fantasy week matchup was well in doubt, that might have screwed me and the rest of us this week. But the Bengals are 4-4 and have plenty of good football left in them at the halfway mark, considering the AFC North is nowhere near decided at the moment.
"The game was 25-0 before you even know it," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. "We just didn't come back. The worst thing to do against the Cleveland Browns is to give them a two, three score lead with their running game and their pass rush."
Myles Garrett dominated, Nick Chubb ran like wild fire. Nothing more you can do in that situation.
Burrow has thrown at least two touchdown passes in three straight games, along with a quarterback rating of at least 95. At home, Joe Cool is unlike anything we've seen. In five of his last six home starts, Burrow has thrown at least 325 yards and two touchdowns. His 2,329 passing yards are tops in the NFL. Of course, that has a lot to do with Chase on his outside, but the Bengals are talented enough to get enough from Tee Higging and Tyler Boyd when needed.
And I think it's safe to say that the Panthers will not, under any circumstance, be in a position where DJ Moore will catch a potential game-winning touchdown and throw his helmet off to penalize his team 15 yards in a first-place-in-the-division football game, because that would require the Bengals' defense to just crumble and falter into the Earth.
"I've got to understand that there's still time on the clock," Moore said. "It was a natural reaction, but you've still got to know you can't do that."
There's no denying what P.J. Walker did last week, throwing for 317 yards and that miraculous Hail Mary touchdown to at least give Carolina a chance to win. But the Steve Wilks experiment can only last for so long before it goes haywire.
Prediction
Another week in the post-Christian McCaffrey era and the Panthers might have some renewed confidence in them. But at the end of the day, I can't see Burrow faltering for a second straight week. If he does, might as well give Chase the MVP now. But the Bengals get a win and get back on track. Bengals by 14
Betting trends
Panthers are 3-13 ATS off an over the last three years; 0-2 this season.
Panthers are 5-7 ATS off a division game the last three years.
Panthers are 11-9 ATS on the road the last three years; 1-2 this season.
Panthers are 2-8 ATS the last three years off a loss by 6 or less; 36-48 in franchise history.
Bengals are 12-9 ATS at home the last three years; 2-1 this season.
Under is 10-3 in the Bengals' last 13 non-conference games.
Bengals are 8-10 ATS off an over the last three years.
Statistical leaders
Panthers:
Passing: Baker Mayfield -- 962 yards, 4 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: D'Onta Foreman -- 273 yards, 3 TD
Receiving: D.J. Moore -- 425 yards, 3 TD
Defense: Brian Burns -- 5 sacks
Bengals:
Passing: Joe Burrow -- 2,329 yards, 17 TD, 6 INT
Rushing: Joe Mixon -- 432 yards, 2 TD
Receiving: Ja'Marr Chase -- 605 yards, 6 TD
Defense: Trey Hendrickson -- 4 sacks
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Carolina Panthers - Cincinnati Bengals prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NFL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
