Cincinnati Bengals vs. New England Patriots Picks, Predictions, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

Week 16 of the NFL season will resume with a heavyweight AFC clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots. Coverage begins from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

Updated on 01/23/2025

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CINCINNATI BENGALS vs. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS BETTING PREDICTION

The Patriots can no longer win the AFC East with Buffalo holding a four-game lead over their heads with just three weeks left to play. However, Bill Belichick’s squad is still very alive in the Wild Card hunt, as the Pats own a record of 7-7 entering Week 16, which trails the Chargers and Dolphins by just one game, who currently occupy the final two slots in the AFC playoff picture at 8-6.

New England certainly hasn’t looked like a playoff team the last few weeks, though, considering the Pats followed up a solid 6-4 start to the season with losses in three-of-four games in Weeks 12 through 15, while surrendering a lofty average of 25 PPG on the defensive side of the ball across their latest stretch.

So, it’s tough to imagine this squad turning things around and making a playoff push staring down the barrel of matchups against the Bengals, Dolphins, and Bills the next three weeks.

The Bengals stumbled out to a bumpy 2-3 start to the season, however, they’ve arguably been the best team in football since their opening skid, highlighted by Joe Burrow and co. posting wins in eight of their last nine games, while racking up 27+ points on the offensive side of the ball in six of those matchups, and defensively, holding their opponent to 21 points or less in four of them.

I won’t be totally shocked if the Patriots sneak into the playoffs, but they’ll probably need to luck out the next two weeks against Miami and Buffalo, and receive some help. The Bengals still haven’t officially locked up the AFC North yet with Baltimore trailing closely behind in the standings at 9-5. And I can’t see anybody standing in the way of this Cincy squad in its pursuit of a home playoff matchup. I’ll back the Bengals to cover here.

Score Prediction: Bengals 28, Patriots 20
Best Bet: Bengals -3 (-115)

CINCINNATI BENGALS vs. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS BETTING ODDS

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CINCINNATI BENGALS vs. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Saturday, December 24, 2022
Matchup: AFC North vs. AFC East
Venue: Gillette Stadium
Location: Foxborough, Massachusetts
Time-TV: CBS, 1:00 p.m. ET

CINCINNATI BENGALS BETTING ANALYSIS

The Bengals posted a frustrating 2-3 skid out of the gate this season, which was a particularly jarring stretch for this squad, as Cincy’s defense surrendered just 17.8 PPG and forced eight turnovers in their first five games of the year. But they consistently struggled to get over the hump due to their offense generating just 21.6 PPG during that timeframe.

However, Burrow and co. have been red-hot since their opening skid, and their defense has continued to pull its weight. Which, in turn, has led to the Bengals winning eight of their last nine games, primarily propelled by their offense racking up 29 PPG in those contests. 

But just in case Burrow has an off day in the future, Cincy’s defense has also allowed a modest average of 22 PPG across their latest nine-game stretch. So, the Bengals have some wiggle room if the hostile environment in Foxborough gives them a little bit of trouble early.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS BETTING ANALYSIS

The Patriots appeared to be back and better than ever after rebounding from their 1-3 opening skid with wins in five of their next six contests, as New England previously entered Week 12 riding high with a record of 6-4.

However, aside from their offensive woes, the overarching fear with this Patriots squad has always been the back half of their schedule, and they certainly haven’t stood up to the test thus far, as New England enters Week 16 following losses in three of their last four games.

At the very least, they need to pick up wins in two of their final three matchups against the Bengals, Dolphins, and Bills in order to contend for a playoff spot. But they’ll probably need to win all three. And it just doesn’t look like Belichick has enough weapons at his disposal to pull off that type of run at the moment.

CINCINNATI BENGALS vs. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS BETTING TRENDS

• The Bengals are 6-0 ATS in their last six games.
• The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Cincinnati's last 19 games.
• The total has gone UNDER in five of New England's last seven games.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of New England's last five home games.
• The Bengals are 6-0 SU in their last six games.
• The Bengals are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against New England.
• The Bengals are 1-7 SU in their last eight games against New England.
• The total has gone OVER in four of New England's last five games against Cincinnati.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson