NFL Sportsbook: Bengals vs. Lions. The Cincinnati Bengals and the Detroit Lions are both 4-2 and at the top of their respective divisions. Moreover, both teams are coming off hard fought and well deserved victories. The Bengals went to overtime versus the Buffalo Bills, while the Lions had to rally 24-0 in the second half to beat the Cleveland Browns, in what was a great performance by quarterback Mathew Sanford, tight end Joseph Fauria, and running back Reggie Bush. Cincinnati has the two consecutive wins momentum, but they will be playing at Detroit’s Ford Field. All of this makes for a pretty well matched game this Sunday, 20th, where the Lions have a slight 1 point NFL sportsbook odds advantage.
History, both recent and past, may play a part here. Just last week the Lions defeated an Ohio team on the road; could they do it once again at home? Overall though, Detroit doesn’t have a very good record against the Bengals, either away or at home (where they have not defeat Cincy more than 40 years). As far as this season goes, when the Lions have won, they have scored highly. But a strong defense like that of the Bengals (in particular top tackler Vontaze Burfict) may take the bite out of Detroit’s offense, not unlike the Green Bay Packers did on Week 5 (9-22). NFL sportsbook bettors know that with a so-so offensive team, Cincinnati must rely on defense to win games, as they have done so far.
The Lions may have an extra bit of motivation, and it’s the fact that this could be the game where they improve last season’s 4-12 record. In addition to that, and as NFL sportsbook gamblers may have noticed, they have yet to lose at Ford Field this year, while the Bengals have only won one away game so far. On the other hand, Cincinnati has been the only team that have handed the New England Patriots a loss. It seems that whichever way you slice it, this game is as even as they get. Both teams can claim to be the better of the two based on many statistics, but on Sunday one of them will have to put up or shut up.