Dallas Cowboys vs Cincinnati Bengals Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Joe Burrow and the Bengals Rebound in Week 2?
Dallas Cowboys vs Cincinnati Bengals Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Joe Burrow and the Bengals Rebound in Week 2?
The Bengals and Cowboys had total opposite starts to their season but both resulted in losses. This includes the loss of Dak Prescott, who sustained an injury to his hand during the fourth quarter in a 19-3 loss against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Joe Burrow lost one of his favorite wideouts, Tee Higgins, early due to a concussion. This resulted in him force-feeding Ja'Marr Chase for the duration of the game, which yielded superior production from the second-year wideout.
Special teams were the massive blooper in the Bengals' loss, along with bad coaching. Five turnovers were detrimental to finding a way to win but Cincinnati still came within inches of winning on a couple of plays late in the game. Will Burrow play a clean game? Can Cooper Rush be effective?
Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for Sunday's game between the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Dallas Cowboys.
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CINCINNATI BENGALS VS. DALLAS COWBOYS START TIME, WHERE TO WATCH, AND ODDS
- Date: Sunday, September 18th
- Game Time: 4:25 pm ET
- Where to Watch: CBS
Click here for Bengals vs Cowboys odds
CINCINNATI BENGALS VS. DALLAS COWBOYS INJURY REPORT
BENGALS
Questionable: WR Tee Higgins (Concussion),
Out: LS Clark Harris (Bicep)
COWBOYS
Questionable: Michael Gallup (Knee)
Out: QB Dak Prescott (Hand), S Jayron Kearse (Knee), G Connor McGovern (Ankle), DE Tarell Basham (Thigh)
CINCINNATI BENGALS VS. DALLAS COWBOYS PREDICTION
The last time Cincinnati played Dallas, neither franchise quarterback was on the field. Burrow suffered a torn ACL a month prior and Prescott's gruesome ankle injury derailed his 2020 season before Burrow's untimely injury.
In 2022, Burrow is fully locked in after leading the Bengals to an AFC title and nearly winning Super Bowl LVI against the Los Angeles Rams. His confidence is through the roof and it was tested immediately in Week 1. Burrow threw four interceptions and accounted for five turnovers, while still managing to complete 33-53 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns. That's a rare type of resilience.
Tee Higgins' early exit due to a concussion left Burrow with fewer weapons at his disposal than usual, leading to a massive day for Ja'Marr Chase. A controversial decision by Bengals' head coach Zac Taylor to not challenge the spot on one of Chase's receptions led to a blocked field goal attempt that would have given Cincinnati the win.
Joe Mixon was outshined by Chase but he still had a nice game in both facets of the offense, carrying 27 times for 82 yards and adding another seven receptions for 63 yards through the air. He's an increasingly rare workhorse who hits the running lanes with a burst, demonstrating a physical running style behind a revamped Bengals offensive line.
How exactly will the Bengals' offense hold up against a very talented Dallas defense? Yes, the Cowboys got blown out 19-3 by Tampa Bay during Sunday Night Football but it was primarily due to a lack of offensive production.
Dallas' defense could not slow down Leonard Fournette, allowing him to carry 21 times for 127 yards. Their inability to stop the run kept the Cowboys' defense on the field, eventually allowing Tom Brady to find Mike Evans for the game's only touchdown. Brady finished with 212 yards and an interception, vastly lower than his numbers from 2021.
Even before Prescott's injury, he was held to 14-29 completions for 134 yards and an interception. CeeDee Lamb has been touted as a bonafide WR1 since being selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft but he looked like a shell of himself on the field. Nine targets yielded only two receptions for 29 yards. Granted, it came against a talented Buccaneers defense, but the Bengals are no slouches on the defensive side of the football.
Cincinnati's defense did recover a fumble but Mitch Trubisky played a clean game. Can backup quarterback Cooper Rush play on Trubisky's level and mitigate mistakes? Especially with the possible return of Michael Gallup?
Rush finds himself in his fifth season with a 1-0 record as a starter. Last year, he went 24-40 for 325 yards and two touchdowns on the road in Minnesota, mounting a comeback drive on the final possession and finding Amari Cooper for a five-yard touchdown pass. Rush also hit a 73-yard touchdown pass to Cedrick Wilson against a porous Minnesota secondary. The question remains whether or not he can do it against Jessie Bates III and the rest of the talented Bengals' secondary.
Ezekiel Elliot still managed 5.2 YPC against a tough Tampa Bay front-seven last week. If Gallup returns and Lamb improves, the Cowboys may have enough on offense to keep the game close into the fourth quarter.
On the flip side, does anyone think Burrow won't be ready to throw five touchdowns and wash away the stink of a disastrous Week 1? I am not willing to bet on another poor showing from Cincinnati's franchise quarterback.
Hammer the Bengals to cover the spread on the road against a banged-up Dallas offense.
CINCINNATI BENGALS VS. DALLAS COWBOYS PICK
- Pick: Bengals -8 (-110) (Bet $110 to win $100)
Article Author
Matt is an avid writer, editor, and researcher. He enjoys analyzing the game within the game which is fantasy sports and sports betting. Music is another constant in his daily life. Matt loves spending time with his wife and three pets. He likes to read, listen to podcasts, and is constantly motivated to create the most accurate and engaging content in the sports betting industry.