National Football League

NFL odds Week 9: How to bet Panthers-Bengals, pick

Updated Nov. 4, 2022 12:44 p.m. ET

The Carolina Panthers square off against the Cincinnati Bengals in an NFC South-AFC North Week 9 matchup.

The Panthers lost to the Atlanta Falcons 37-34 in an overtime thriller, while the Bengals were defeated by the Cleveland Browns 32-13 on Monday Night Football.

Which team will cover the spread this week?

Here's everything you need from a betting perspective on the Panthers-Bengals game, from the point spread, moneyline, total Over/Under and expert picks (odds via FOX Bet):

AFC Playoff standings: Will Chargers, Bengals or Patriots snag the final spot?

Emmanuel Acho, Joy Taylor, LeSean McCoy and David Helman decide on who would clinch the final spot.

RELATED: Week 9 lines, odds

Panthers at Bengals (1 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX)

Point spread: Bengals -7.5 (Bengals favored to win by more than 7.5 points, otherwise Panthers cover)
Moneyline: Bengals -333 favorites to win (bet $10 to win $13 total); Panthers +240 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $34 total)
Total scoring over/under: 42.5 points scored by both teams combined

Pick via FOX Sports NFL Analyst Geoff Schwartz:

This feels like a spot where people will buy high on the Panthers after they should have beaten Atlanta on Sunday, while others will buy low on the Bengals, who looked lost on Monday facing the Browns without Ja’Marr Chase.

I’m going to do neither and take the Under in this contest.

The Panthers are back on the road with P.J. Walker leading the charge at quarterback. They scored three offensive points in Walker’s first start, increased to 21 against Tampa Bay and then 30 last weekend against the Falcons. Without possibly the best throw of the season when Walker hit Moore to tie the game, the Panthers would only have put up 24 against the lowly Falcons defense.

The Bengals defense, despite their worst showing of the season Monday against the Browns, are above average. They rank 12th in defensive points per drive and seventh in defensive passing DVOA. The Panthers are 27th in offensive points per drive, and I’m not sure if they can put up many points Sunday on the road.

On the flip side, the Panthers defense ranks 13th in points per drive. The defense is how they’ve been able to keep games close, and without Chase at wide receiver, the Bengals' offense will continue to struggle.

It’s hard to trust the Bengals coaching staff to find answers without Chase, given that they had none with eight days of preparation for the Browns.

Also, the Bengals offensive line continues to have issues. Panthers pass rusher Brian Burns will dominate on Sunday, keeping the scoring lower for the Bengals.

PICK: Under 43.5 points scored by both teams combined at FOX Bet

Pick via FOX Sports Gambling Expert Warren Sharp:

Carolina had the game vs. the Falcons right there for the taking and couldn’t seal the deal. Blame D.J. Moore all you want for removing his helmet, but this is on the kicker for missing not only that extra point but an FG in overtime that would have won them the game.

Now, they must travel to play a Bengals team, reeling off a Monday Night Football road loss.

We know that Joe Burrow has shown tremendous splits when playing two-high safeties.

On the year, he’s averaging +0.20 EPA/att against non-two-high safeties, which ranks No. 2 best in the NFL.

But vs. two-high safeties, he averages -0.01 EPA/att, which ranks slightly below average.

We also know that the Carolina Panthers are capable of playing with two-high safeties.

They haven’t done it as much, given some injuries in the secondary, but in Weeks 1-4, they played the No. 6 highest rate of two-high coverage and ranked top-15 in EPA/att allowed when playing two-high coverage.

I believe they will utilize it more in this game vs. the Bengals, and it will see success.

In Burrow’s first game without Chase, Burrow averaged just 6.6 YPA.

A massive 37% of his attempts were behind the line of scrimmage (No. 3 highest last week) after being less than 26% on the season before last week.

Keep a focus on the availability of Bengals DT D.J. Reader. If he’s out, unless the Bengals massively alter their strategy on a short week (something you have to have a lot of trust in their offensive coaches to do, and I do not), I’d be looking into backing the Panthers here.

PICK: Panthers (+7 at FOX Bet) to lose by fewer than 7 points (or win outright)

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