For the third consecutive week, the National Football League outdoor venues will avoid weather that could affect the play on the field. But, for one team that was among the top considerations for Super Bowl LVIII, there are storm clouds mounting as they are still looking for their first win.
With Super Bowl aspirations and no wins this season is the Cincinnati Bengals. This is nothing new for Cincinnati. Last year, on the heels of their Super Bowl appearance the prior season, the Bengals opened their campaign with a loss both on their home field and away from their Cincinnati confines.
In 2022, it was a home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and a road defeat against the Cowboys in Dallas. This year, it was a road loss to open against the Browns in Cleveland, and a defeat last Sunday at home against the Baltimore Ravens.
Twelve months ago, after back-to-back season opening losses, the Bengals ran off a streak that included twelve point spread wins in the succeeding 13 weeks. By year’s end, the Bengals were tangled in a hard fought AFC Championship Game battle that ended in the home team’s favor, the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Is this Bengals team positioned for a surge like the squad enjoyed last season? There is a problem with that expectation, Cincinnati’s offense has had to scale back to accommodate their hobbled quarterback. In a decision that I think will be catastrophic for their season, the Bengals are not shutting down Joe Burrow until he is a 100%. Playing him through the muscle pull in his calf is opening up the possibility of losing his effectiveness for the whole year … with an even worse scenario of having him further injure himself while not at full capacity and risk his career.
Tomorrow night, the Bengals host the team that beat them in the Super Bowl two years ago, the Los Angeles Rams. Sean McVay led his team to an opening road win over the Seattle Seahawks, and battled the San Francisco 49ers to a point spread draw in a seven point defeat, 30-23. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has looked sharp in his return from nearly a year layoff.
This second game of tomorrow’s Monday Night Football doubleheader is a most intriguing contest. As for today, Qoxhi has two money rated plays now posted on this site. If a Bullet play develops in the final hour before the day’s first kickoff, that game will be added to the list of recommendations by 9:45 a.m. Pacific Time.
As for the public, their three favorite plays today are Miami Dolphins (-6) over Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks (-5) over Carolina Panthers, and Buffalo Bills (-6) over Washington Commanders.