Patriots vs. Bengals Final Score Prediction for NFL Week 1 (Slower Start Than Expected for Burrow and Bengals)

Reed Wallach | Sep 7, 2024

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws a pass during a preseason joint practice at the Paycor Stadium practice facility in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Patriots and Bengals meet in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.

It was a lost Cincinnati after Joe Burrow went down with a midseason elbow injury, but the team has Super Bowl aspirations in 2024. However, with injuries to the Bengals pass catching group, as well as a pending contract extension for Ja'Marr Chase, the team may not be at its best just yet.

However, New England is expected to be the worst team in the NFL this season. How will that manifest in the opening game? Let's check out the odds and our final score prediction!

Patriots vs. Bengals Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• Patriots: +7.5 (-110)
• Bengals: -7.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Patriots: +245
• Bengals: -310

Total: 40.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Patriots vs. Bengals Final Score Prediction

Iain MacMillan is wary of trusting the Bengals, who may be short-handed in the pass catching group with Tee Higgins listed as doubtful and Ja’Marr Chase potentially limited after not participating in training camp for much of this summer. 

Here’s what our NFL betting expert had to say about this matchup in his weekly column, Road to 272.

Nobody hates the New England Patriots more than I do, but no matter how bad you think they're going to be this season, I simply can't get to the Bengals being a 9.5-point favorite in a Week 1 game. The Bengals have historically started slow each season in the Joe Burrow-era, and people forget they were just 5-5 last year when he suffered a season-ending injury.

As a whole, the Bengals were 28th in the NFL in Net Yards per Play last season at -0.8, well below the Patriots who ranked 17th at -0.1. A big reason was their defense which ranked dead last in opponent yards per play, giving up 6.0 yards per snap. They made some small improvements by signing Vonn Bell and Geno Stone at safety, but that's not enough for me to think they're good enough this year to be an almost double-digit favorite.

There are some complications for the Bengals that may lead to a slow start, but I’m not going to go for the outright upset. Cincinnati has improved on defense to hold off the lowly Patriots offense as the team waits for Drake Maye to take over under center, but it may not be pretty. 

Final Score Prediction: Bengals 20, Patriots 13

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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