Panthers Bengals Betting – Winless Bengals Look To Feast On Panthers At Home
With just two preseason games to go before the NFL regular season gets underway, two of the league’s rebuilding franchises are scrambling to put the pieces together in order to be ready for opening day. The Carolina Panthers have handed the keys to rookie quarterback Cam Newton, but after a rough start against the Miami Dolphins they could be second-guessing that sports betting decision. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals are 0-2 with their rookie quarterback leading the way, as Andy Dalton looks to take over for the recently retired Carson Palmer.
Carolina Panthers @ Cincinnati Bengals
Thursday August 25, 2011 – 7:00 PM ET
Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
NFL Betting Lines: Cincinnati Bengals – 3
Despite that the Bengals have a lot of good weapons on both sides of the ball, it seems that like in Carolina, ownership has already accepted that they will not be Super Bowl contenders this season, turning their attention instead to the future. Newton and Dalton have both shown flashes, but right now they are still each a work in progress.
NFL Betting Preview: Carolina Panthers
Newton completed just half of his passes while throwing for 66 yards and rushing for 18 more in his start against the Dolphins last week, and after the game acknowledged that he is well aware he needs to be better. Second-year quarterback Jimmy Clausen didn’t look any better so the job is still Newton’s to lose, and while tight end Jeremy Shockey has shown his value early on, Carolina needs more players to step up and help move their offense. The Panthers’ defense gave up 17 first-half points against the Dolphins in the 20-10 loss, and needs work against both the rush and pass.
NFL Betting Preview: Cincinnati Bengals
Back-to-back blowout losses to the Detroit Lions and New York Jets isn’t the way that Marvin Lewis wanted to start the preseason, but with a couple of home dates remaining against the Panthers and Indianapolis Colts without Peyton Manning in the lineup, they should be able to even that preseason record. Dalton has looked overwhelmed at times, including just 86 yards and two interceptions against the Jets, but Bruce Gradkowski hasn’t fared much better so he should be confident in his chances. Lewis will demand more of his offensive line against the Panthers, in terms of both protecting the quarterback and opening up running lanes for Cedric Benson and Brian Leonard. The Bengals allowed the Jets to score 10 points in the first six minutes of action, and will need to be more aggressive against Carolina.
NFL Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick
Both teams have starting quarterback jobs up for grabs, but with the Bengals owning the better defense and playing at home, they do have an edge. Despite that it is only preseason, no team wants to go into the final exhibition game without a win, so look for Lewis to have his team playing with a lot more sports betting bonus urgency as they notch their first victory of 2011.
