Cincinnati Bengals vs Atlanta Falcons Prediction, 8/18/2023 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Preseason

Game: Cincinnati Bengals vs Atlanta Falcons

Date: Friday, August 18, 2023

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA

TV: No TV

Odds/Point Spread: Falcons (-6)

Total/Over-Under: 38

The Atlanta Falcons (7-10 last year) will go up against the Cincinnati Bengals (14-5 last season) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday. Atlanta opens this matchup as 6-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total comes in at 38.

The Cincinnati Bengals ended the year holding a 14-5 mark. When they last took the field, the Bengals stepped onto the field against the Chiefs and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 23-20. Joe Burrow was the best rusher for the Bengals with 4 attempts for 30 yds (7.5 yds per carry). Tee Higgins had an average of 13.8 yds per catch by accounting for 83 yards on 6 catches. Joe Burrow connected on 26/41 with 270 yds through the air and 1 TD. He had a QB rating of 70.2 and finished the contest with 2 picks. Against the rush, the Bengals conceded 42 yards on 20 tries, which is an average of 2.1 yds per run surrendered. Cincinnati surrendered 29 completions on 43 tries for a total of 315 yards, and a completion percentage of 67.4%. Overall, they ran 63 plays which converted into 309 yards. The Cincinnati Bengals ended up rushing 17 different times and tallied 71 yards, earning them an average of 4.2 yards per attempt.

The Bengals attained 5,768 total yards for the prior year. Cincinnati had 221 1st downs, and they were called for 81 infractions for 623 yds. Cincinnati amassed 35 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns. They surrendered the ball 18 different times (12 interceptions and 6 fumbles lost). As a team they averaged 95.5 yds via the ground game, ranking them 29th in the NFL. Concerning scoring points, the Cincinnati Bengals had an average of 26.1 points per contest.

In terms of passing yards, the Bengals allowed 3,665 yards which ranked them 16th in the National Football League. In their 16 games played last season, they allowed 229.1 yards per game via the pass as well as allowing a completion percentage of 58.9%. They allowed 335.7 yards per outing which put them 16th in the league. They gave up 17 touchdowns via the pass as well as 12 touchdowns on the ground. They gave up an average of 4.2 yards per rushing attempt and 106.6 yards on the ground per game for the previous season. During the season, they allowed 1,706 rushing yards through 16 games. The Bengals were ranked 6th in the NFL in relation to the opposition scoring, giving up 20.1 PPG.

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The Falcons ended the year with a 7-10 mark. In their last contest, the Falcons got the victory with a final of 30-17 against the Buccaneers. Tyler Allgeier carried the ball 24 times for 135 yards, walking away from the game with 5.6 yds per attempt for Atlanta. Drake London was a featured target for the Falcons, bringing in 6 footballs for 120 yds (20.0 yards per catch). Desmond Ridder (2 TDs) walked away from the game with 224 yds on 19/30 through the air while his quarterback rate was 108.2. He didn't toss any interceptions and his average yards per pass attempt was 7.5 yds. Atlanta conceded 20 running attempts for 86 yards (4.3 yards per carry). The Falcons secondary allowed a completion rate of 64.7%, surrendering 136 yds on 22 out of 34 through the air. The Falcons finished the game with a total of 382 yds and they ran 67 plays (5.7 yards per play). Atlanta ran for 5.0 yards per tote, finishing with a total of 174 yds on 35 carries.

The Atlanta Falcons held an average of 318.6 yards per game which had them sitting 24th in the NFL. They had an average of 159.9 rushing yards per game and rushed for 2,718 yards overall. The Atlanta offense compiled 594 penalty yds on 68 violations, which was good for 32nd in football in terms of hurting your team. They threw 9 picks while conceding 12 fumbles and they earned 148 1st downs. Last season, the Falcons compiled 2,699 yards through the air in addition to an average of 158.8 passing yards per contest, which had them sitting 31st out of all NFL teams. When looking at the points being put on the board, the Falcons earned a ranking of 15th out of all teams in the league with a maintained average of 21.5 points per game.

The Falcons surrendered 22.7 PPG, which put them in 23rd of all teams in the league. They allowed 26 touchdowns through the air as well as 231.9 yards/game, which had them ranked 25th in the NFL. Over the course of the season, they gave up 386 total points. Atlanta allowed a total of 2,214 yards rushing (130.2 yards per game) as well as 15 touchdowns by way of the ground game throughout last season. The Falcons defense took the field for 1,082 plays, which was good for 20th in the NFL. They totaled 17 takeaways (7 fumbles recovered and 10 interceptions) last year.

Who will win tonight's Bengals/Falcons NFL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Bengals +6

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