NFL Week 3 Picks: Tennessee Titans vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Tennessee Titans vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, 9/21/14, 1:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Cincinnati -7
Current Betting Line: Cincinnati -7
Opening Total: 43.5
Current Total: 43.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Cincinnati Bengals have one of the best offenses in the league heading into Week 3

Tennessee has split its first two games of the season, as it looks to bounce back from a 26-10 setback to the Dallas Cowboys as three-point home favorites Sunday, while going UNDER the betting total for the second consecutive contest. Titans quarterback Jake Locker will try to improve his overall record to 10-11, which is important to consider when making your Week 3 NFL betting picks, as he completed 18-of-34 passes for 234 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in last week’s loss. Tennessee is 3-5 SU and 4-4 ATS as road underdogs of 3.5 to 7 points since 2012, with no clear edge in terms of the betting total (4-4 Over/Under).

The Titans have been very pleased by tight end Delanie Walker’s production, as he has 13 receptions for 179 yards with touchdowns in each of the first two games, but the team’s receivers have combined for just one touchdown. Tennessee owns the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense in surrendering just 163.0 yards per game and totaling three interceptions.

Cincinnati is looking to log a franchise-record 11th straight regular-season home win, which can’t be ignored when looking over the NFL betting odds, as the team ranks fourth in the league in total offense and 25th in total defense. The Bengals are being led offensively by the play of signal-caller Andy Dalton, who ranks third in the AFC and seventh in the NFL with a passer rating of 105.4. Running back Giovani Bernard has turned into one of the best playmakers in the league—entering with 279 total yards from scrimmage. Cincinnati is 7-1 SU and 6-1-1 ATS as home favorites of 3.5 to 7 points over the last two-plus seasons.

The Bengals earned a 24-17 win over the Titans as 1.5-point road underdogs in their last meeting in 2011, with Dalton throwing three scores to three different players in that matchup. Cincinnati will focus on trying to make Tennessee give up the football, considering it has put together a 57-13-1 record in the regular season when winning the turnover battle under longtime head coach Marvin Lewis.