The Cincinnati Bengals will try to continue their fast start to the season when they visit the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. Game time is at 1:00 EST on Sunday, September 23, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Fans can watch the game on CBS in local markets.
According to this week’s NFL betting odds, the Panthers are 3-point favorites at home. This game also has an over/under set at 43.5 points.
Of all the 2-0 teams in the NFL, the Bengals are arguably the most surprising. They have won by an identical 34-23 margin over both the Colts and Raven. In week 1 against the Colts, the Bengals forged a strong 2nd half comeback to erase a deficit and win comfortably. They kept up that momentum in the 1st half against the Ravens, as they jumped out to a 21-0 lead. However, they did have to hold on at the end after that lead eventually evaporated to 28-23 midway through the 4th quarter. In any event, Cincinnati is 2-0 and that’s all that matters.
Carolina, meanwhile, sits at 1-1 on the season. The Panthers won a defensive slugfest against the Cowboys in Week 1 but couldn’t quite keep up in a shootout against the Falcons last week. Carolina spent the entire 2nd half playing from behind but couldn’t make it all the way back despite 335 yards passing from Cam Newton.
In a rather shocking early-season twist, the Panthers are one of three 1-1 teams looking up at the Bucs in the NFC South. With Carolina’s schedule backloaded with division rivals, they are about to enter the more manageable part of their schedule, making it imperative that they string some wins together. Cincinnati, meanwhile, sits alone atop the AFC North. However, the Bengals play four of their next five games against teams that went to the playoffs last year, so things may not come as easy as they have the first two weeks of the season.
I’m a little nervous about making this pick, especially with the Bengals being a road underdog. However, I’ll drink a little bit of the Cincinnati kool-aid, in part because the Panthers have had some notable flaws on display this year, even during their Week 1 win. With the Bengals having a little extra time to prepare for this game and getting a few points, I’ll lean toward Cincinnati to beat the spread, if not win the game.
I’m not a huge fan of what Carolina has done offensively this season. Most of their points last week against Atlanta came when they were trailing by two touchdowns. I was also a little disappointed in their output Week 1 against the Cowboys. The problem is that they’re a team that needs to run the ball to set up the pass but they aren’t running the ball well enough. Newton has more rushing yards than Christian McCaffrey after two games, and that’s simply not going to work long-term.
On top of that, the Panthers are still without much of a downfield passing attack. McCaffrey is the team’s leading receiver with twice as many receptions as Devin Funchess. I don’t see that kind of offense working against Cincinnati. The Bengals have been a little vulnerable in the secondary the first couple of weeks. But the Panthers aren’t the type of team that can take full advantage of that weakness.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati defense has been strong at the line of scrimmage. They’ve been able to contain the running game against both opponents and have six sacks through two games. If that trend continues, the Bengals have a good chance to stifle the Carolina offense for most of the game.
On the other side of the ball, the Panthers were great against the one-dimensional Dallas offense in Week 1 but struggled to stop the Falcons at all last week. The real Carolina defense is probably somewhere in the middle. However, coming off last week’s showing against Atlanta, I have doubts about the Panthers being able to contain a Cincinnati offense that’s been able to stay balanced through two games.
Say what you will about Andy Dalton, but he’s played well these first two games. He’s found A.J. Green for four of his six touchdown passes while Tyler Boyd has started to emerge as a viable no. 2 receiver. My one concern is the absence of running back Joe Mixon, who was big during last week’s win but is out for a few weeks with a knee injury. However, with the way the Panthers struggled to stop Atlanta’s running game last week, backup Giovani Bernard should be a capable fill-in. I’m also not sure if the Panthers will have an answer for Green after two Falcons receivers totaled over 60 yards receiving last week.
Obviously, there’s always a chance that Carolina’s defense will step up at home and be able to keep the Cincinnati offense contained. There’s also a chance Dalton will regress to his old ways. But based on what we’ve seen the first two weeks, the Bengals are the better team in this game. I’ll take my chances leaning toward Cincinnati and the points.