Cincinnati at Tampa Bay Betting Preview/Week 1 NFL Preseason Picks
14 August 2021
Cincinnati comes into this game with a bad taste in their mouth after another disappointing and underwhelming season in 2020. The Bengals are not expected to be a playoff team in 2021 either, but this franchise needs to turn things around.
Tampa Bay was the Super Bowl champion last season, and this team should be a serious contender to repeat in 2021. The Buccaneers were able to get nearly all of their starters back, and they are a popular pick to win the NFC Conference.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are six-point favorites over the Cincinnati Bengals in this Week 1 Preseason matchup.
Bengals Need Burrow to Lead
The Cincinnati Bengals have a potential superstar under center in Joe Burrow, but the team needs their star quarterback to find a way to get through this season healthy. Burrow is not expected to see any action in this game against Tampa Bay, but he should be fully healthy by the start of the 2021 season.
Running back, Joe Mixon did all he could for the Bengals offense a season ago, and he will be relied on heavily this season as well. Look for Cincinnati to attempt to establish the run on Saturday night, as this team needs to find offensive balance.
The defense for the Bengals has let them down too many times in recent seasons, and this will be the first real test for that group. Cincinnati can't afford to turn each game into a shootout as they just don't have the weapons overall.
Buccaneers Looking For Depth
Tampa Bay didn't need to go out and add any new talent this offseason as this roster was pretty well set. Tom Brady is clearly the biggest star of this Buccaneers team, but he will have plenty of help when the regular season begins.
It was the defense of Tampa Bay that really set the tone a season ago, and the Bucs will be looking for a similar performance this season. The Buccaneers won't have to deal with Joe Burrow on Saturday night, and that unit has the potential to take over a game.
There just isn't much motivation for Tampa Bay to play well in this game, as the ultimate goal is winning another title. Tampa Bay will use some starters throughout this matchup, and that is where the big mismatch will come into play.
Bengals Battle With Buccaneers
There is no doubt that the Buccaneers are the better team in this matchup, but that doesn't usually have an effect in the preseason. This game is meaningless to Tampa Bay, while Cincinnati is looking for any positive signs that they can use in the regular season.
The Buccaneers have a loaded roster that is full of superstars, but that group of players won't be seeing much action in this game. Cincinnati has a roster full of unproven players, and this is a great chance to show the coaching staff that they belong on an NFL roster.
Don't expect a very clean game on Saturday, but this is a matchup that should be tight throughout. The best bet in this game is taking the Cincinnati Bengals +6.0 as they will keep this game close and could potentially pull off a thrilling upset.
Here are all of Dunkel's picks for Week 1 of the preseason:
August 12
Washington at New England
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 122.686; New England 118.759
Dunkel Line & Total: Washington by 4; 31
Vegas Line & Total: Washington by 2; 35
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-2); Under
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 126.588; Philadelphia 116.141
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 10 ½; 37
Vegas Line & Total: Philadelphia by 1; 34
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+1); Over
August 13
Tennessee at Atlanta
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee 120.216; Atlanta 115.249
Dunkel Line & Total: Tennessee by 5; 41
Vegas Line & Total: Tennessee by 1; 38
Dunkel Pick: Tennessee (-1); Over
Buffalo at Detroit
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Buffalo 119.853; Detroit 120.452
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 1; 34
Vegas Line & Total: Buffalo by 2; 37
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+2); Under
Dallas at Arizona
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 119.908; Arizona 115.461
Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 4 ½; 44
Vegas Line & Total: Arizona by 1 ½; 40
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (+1 ½); Over
August 14
Miami at Chicago
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Miami 118.156; Chicago 123.830
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 5 ½; 30
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 3 ½; 34 ½
Pick: Chicago (-3 ½); Under
Denver at Minnesota
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Denver 124.297; Minnesota 120.951
Dunkel Line & Total: Denver by 3 ½; 28
Vegas Line & Total: Minnesota by 1 ½; 34
Dunkel Pick: Denver (+1 ½); Under
New Orleans at Baltimore
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: New Orleans 122.816; Baltimore 131.788
Dunkel Line & Total: Baltimore by 9; 38
Vegas Line & Total: Baltimore by 2 ½; 35 ½
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-2 ½); Over
Cleveland at Jacksonville
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland 112.215; Jacksonville 116.760
Dunkel Line & Total: Jacksonville by 4 ½; 42
Vegas Line & Total: Jacksonville by 1; 37 ½
Dunkel Pick: Jacksonville (-1); Over
Cincinnati at Tampa Bay
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati 119.141; Tampa Bay 121.015
Dunkel Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 2; 31
Vegas Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 6; 33
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+6); Under
NY Jets at NY Giants
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: NY Jets 122.813; NY Giants 120.164
Dunkel Line & Total: NY Jets by 2 ½; 51
Vegas Line & Total: NY Giants by 2; 35
Dunkel Pick: NY Jets (+2); Over
Houston at Green Bay
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Houston 109.334; Green Bay 122.919
Dunkel Line & Total: Green Bay by 13; 30
Vegas Line & Total: Green Bay by 3; 33 ½
Dunkel Pick: Green Bay (-3); Under
Kansas City at San Francisco
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City 122.369; San Francisco 120.916
Dunkel Line & Total: Kansas City by 1 ½; 32
Vegas Line & Total: San Francisco by 2 ½; 36 ½
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+2 ½); Under
Seattle at Las Vegas
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle 123.835; Las Vegas 121.797
Dunkel Line & Total: Seattle by 2; 40
Vegas Line & Total: Las Vegas by 1; 37 ½
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+1); Over
LA Chargers at LA Rams
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: LA Chargers 114.735; LA Rams 120.513
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Rams by 6; 26
Vegas Line & Total: LA Chargers by 3 ½; 35
Dunkel Pick: LA Rams (+3 ½); Under
August 15
Carolina at Indianapolis
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Carolina 122.309; Indianapolis 120.286
Dunkel Line & Total: Carolina by 2; 36
Vegas Line & Total: Indianapolis by 1 ½; 34
Dunkel Pick: Carolina (+1 ½); Over
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