Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Prediction, Odds, Depth Charts (10/15/23)

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals kicks off this Sunday at 1:00pm EST in Cincinnati Ohio as a home game for the Bengals. The Seahawks are currently a +3 underdog and +134 on the moneyline while the total is set at 44.5. Read on for more Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals best bets and predictions as both offenses are in a position to put up points and cash the over.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals Prediction & Best Bet

After weeks of witnessing Joe Burrow reduced to practically nothing, it was refreshing to see him play like his former elite self while dealing with a calf injury in the Bengals last game out against the Cardinals. Granted it was against the worst defense in the NFL, but the movement in the pocket was especially intriguing to see.

The movement in the pocket was especially vital to witness as he will need to find that same success against a Seahawks defense who thrives in generating pressure. Seattle’s defense currently ranks fifth in Pressure, 13th in Blitz Rate, 12th in Adjusted Sack Rate, and first in Defensive Line Yards. That makes for an intriguing battle against a Bengals offensive line who is more than capable of holding their own, ranking seventh in Offensive Line Yards.

Expecting the Bengals offensive line to negate some of the Seahawks pressure, Burrow should find himself with plenty of wide-open passing lanes as his cast of weapons should torch the Seattle secondary. Seattle currently ranks 24th in Def Pass DVOA, 27th in Def Pass Success Rate, and 19th in Def Pass EPA. They mightily lack in coverage and now need to find answers against the likes of Ja’Marr Chase who just turned in a performance of 192 yards and three touchdowns on 15 receptions against the Cardinals.

On the other end, Geno Smith and company should be able to go score for score against the Bengals as he should have no issue picking apart this Bengals defense. Cincinnati generates little to no pressure by ranking 27th in that department, giving Geno a clean pocket to his benefit as he cracks a respectable Bengals pass defense.

Where this gets interesting is in the ground game, deploying Kenneth Walker against a rush defense that ranks 30th in Def Rush DVOA and 26th in Def Rush EPA. Any and all early success will suffocate the defense into the box, opening up passing lanes for Geno to exploit.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals Prediction & Best Bet: Over 44.5

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals Betting Odds

With the Bengals rounding back into form with a healthy Burrow, oddsmakers have leaned towards their favor by opening them as a -4.5 favorite. Bettors believe that was an overreaction, backing Seattle down to as low as +2.5 as of writing. A shocking movement as it burst through the key number of 3, now showing value towards the Bengals at under -3.

As for the total, points are expected to be scored at a moderate pace as oddsmakers opened the number at 44.5. Bettors believe points will come at a tad faster pace, backing the over up to 45.5 in some shops. The key number of 45 is still available in some books, making it vital you take this over at no higher than 45 as it can make or break your bet.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals Key Injuries

Big names at the receiver position can be found on the injury report for both teams as DK Metcalf for the Seahawks and Tee Higgins for the Bengals are both listed as questionable.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals Key Matchups

Can the Bengals pass attack open up the ground game for Joe Mixon?

Joe Mixon Vs. Seahawks Defensive Line

While the theme for the Seahawks offense is to have their ground game set up their pass attack, the exact opposite is true for the Bengals. With the Seahawks possessing an elite rush defense, it will be up to Burrow to carve out the secondary and spread this unit thin for Mixon to exploit at the second level.

Joe Mixon toying with the LB to open up the second level pic.twitter.com/taz5KUHsU4

— mike (@bengals_sans) October 9, 2023

Seattle currently ranks top-7 across the board in Def Rush EPA, DVOA, Success Rate, and Adjusted Line Yards, making it vital for Burrow to ease the pressure at the line by forcing them to drop more back in coverage. Once dropped back, Mixon will find himself with more room to work with as one of the better open field runners in football.

Seattle Seahawks Depth Chart

QB: Geno Smith
RB1: Kenneth Walker III
RB2: Zach Charbonnet
LWR: DK Metcalf
RWR: Tyler Lockett
SWR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
TE1: Noah Fant

Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart

QB: Joe Burrow
RB1: Joe Mixon
RB2: Trayveon Williams
LWR: Ja’Marr Chase
RWR: Tee Higgins
SWR: Tyler Boyd
TE1: David Njoku

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