Paycor Stadium tips: Bengals hunt perfect start as Bucs regroup

The Cincinnati Bengals chase their fourth straight win when they host Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium on Monday, 14 September, 3:00 am AEST. The Bengals have opened 3-0 with three straight wins, while the Buccaneers sit 2-1 after dropping their last start. It's a Monday morning clash that shapes as a genuine test of Cincinnati's early-season form against a Tampa Bay outfit looking to bounce back from a tough outing.

Cincinnati's unbeaten run has them sitting second seed in the American Football Conference with a 37-point differential across three games. Tampa Bay's 2-1 ledger has them eighth in the National Football Conference, but that 10-point negative differential tells the story of an inconsistent start. The yarn here is whether the Bengals can keep rolling at home or whether the Bucs can shake off last week's shutout and cause an upset on the road.

Who will win?

The Bengals are coming off a 30–13 away win over Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday, 29 August — their second straight victory by double digits. Before that, they knocked over Chicago Bears 27–9 at home on Sunday, 23 August. That's an 18-point margin at Paycor Stadium in their only home outing so far, and the form line suggests they're travelling nicely.

Tampa Bay, by contrast, were held scoreless in their last start — a 0–19 loss to Jacksonville Jaguars away on Saturday, 29 August. That followed a narrow 16–15 home win over Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, 23 August, so the Bucs have shown they can win tight ones but also that they can go missing when the pressure comes on the road. Their only home result this season was that one-point thriller, while they've dropped both road trips.

The head-to-head market has Cincinnati at $1.48 and Tampa Bay out at $2.67, which reflects the ladder positions and recent form. The Bengals have won three from three, conceded just 36 points across the lot, and scored 73. The Bucs have put up 40 and leaked 50, including that bagel last week. When you stack the two sides against each other, the Bengals look the sharper outfit with the home-ground advantage and momentum on their side.

Line market

The line sits at Cincinnati -3.5 points, with both sides priced at $1.90. That's a skinny spread given the Bengals have won their last two starts by 17 and 18 points respectively. Tampa Bay's last win was by a single point, and their most recent performance saw them shut out by 19.

Cincinnati's only home result this season was an 18-point margin, which clears the 3.5-point line comfortably. The Bucs' away form reads 1-1, but that includes the 19-point hiding last week. If the Bengals bring anything close to the form that saw them put 30 on Philadelphia away from home, they should cover the short line at Paycor Stadium. The market is narrow, but the recent margins suggest Cincinnati can win by more than a field goal.

Same Game Multi plays

The Same Game Multi board has a few popular combos worth noting. Bengals to win with Chase Brown and J. Chase to score a touchdown is priced at $3.80, while the same win paired with both players scoring two or more touchdowns stretches to $23. If you fancy a scoreboard blow-out, Bengals to win with total points over 50.5 and J. Chase to score two or more touchdowns sits at $8.

There's also Bengals to win with Chase Brown to score first touchdown and J. Chase to score a touchdown at $15. The Bengals have been reliable scorers through the first three weeks, and if they get out to an early lead at home, those touchdown legs come into play.

The verdict

Cincinnati have the form, the home ground, and the ladder position. Tampa Bay are coming off a shutout loss on the road and haven't shown the consistency to suggest they can knock over an unbeaten side away from home. The Bengals should win this, and the -3.5 line looks short enough to back them to cover. Our nfl predictions lean towards the home side to keep the perfect start rolling and do it by more than a field goal at Paycor Stadium on Monday morning.