Commanders vs. Bengals Final Score Prediction for Monday Night Football in NFL Week 3

Iain MacMillan | 2 Hours Ago

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) stands under center in the second quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. The Bengals led 16-10 at halftime. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The second half of the Monday Night Football doubleheader to wrap up Week 3 of the NFL season will feature an interconference duel between the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders.

The Bengals will look to get their first win of the season after surprisingly starting with a record of 0-2. They were upset by the New England Patriots in Week 1 and then allowed a win against the Kansas City Chiefs slip through their fingers in Week 2.

Meanwhile, the Washington Commanders got their first win of the Jayden Daniela era in Week 2, getting past their NFC East rivals, the New York Giants.

Let's take a look at the latest odds for the game and then I'll do my best to predict the final score of this Monday night showdown.

Commanders vs. Bengals Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

• Commanders +7.5 (-115)
• Bengals -7.5 (-105)

Moneyline

• Commanders +290
• Bengals -360

Total

• OVER 46.5 (-120)
• UNDER 46.5 (-102)

The Bengals opened up as 8.5-point favorites last Sunday, but by Tuesday the line had moved down one point to Bengals -7.5. Meanwhile, the total has dropped two points from 48.5 to 46.5, which is where it stands now.

Commanders vs. Bengals Final Score Prediction

I broke down in this week's edition of the "Road to 272 Bets" why I like the Commanders to cover the big spread, but does that mean I like them to win too?

The Bengals' offense and Joe Burrow looked back to being the unit people expected them to be in Week 2 against the Chiefs, but I'm still not sold on this team as a whole. A close game against the Chiefs isn't enough to let me forget about their Week 1 game against the Patriots.

Meanwhile, the Commanders have played better than people think. They haven't been good in the red zone, but they're 10th in the league in yards per play at 5.8 and their defense has been solid enough to keep them in games.

The Bengals should win this game, but I think a point spread of 8.5 is too rich for my blood. I'm still going to be cautious with Cincinnati. The Commanders have run the ball successfully through the first two weeks and if they do that again against the Bengals, they can keep this game close.

I'm going to take the Bengals to win, the Commanders to cover, and for the total to go OVER. Washington's offense has been underrated through the first two weeks and while the Bengals' defense has been solid, I can't look past some of their defensive metrics from last season when they were one of the worst units in the NFL.

Final Score Prediction: Commanders 24, Bengals 28

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