At 5-4, coming off a Bye Week, last season's Super Bowl finalists, the Cincinnati Bengals are among the greatest curiosities of the 2022 NFL regular season. No one quite knows whether to invest or stay all the way away from their odds to make the NFL playoffs. Depending on the week, the Bengals are either dark horse contenders, complete afterthoughts or lying somewhere in between.
Cincinnati's Week 11 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers isn't exactly an all-defining showdown. The Steelers are bad; they're rebuilding. The Bengals are heavily favored to win as a result. But they also need to win. The margin for error to make the 2022 AFC playoffs is incredibly thin to begin with, and Cincy is only one game over .500. If they're serious about reaching the postseason for a second consecutive year, they must rattle off victories against opponents they're supposed to beat.
And judging by the latest NFL online betting odds from MyBookie, the Steelers are a team the Bengals are supposed to beat:
Like always, please remember to double-check these online NFL betting odds until you have actually submitted your wager. Our Bengals vs. Steelers betting odds are accurate entering Tuesday, November 15. Since these two teams won't square off until Sunday, November 20, at 4:25 p.m. EST, there is plenty of time for oddsmakers to adjust their lines. Do your best to remain on top of any 11th-hour shifts.
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Back to the pressing questions at hand. Can Cincinnati keep their playoff hopes alive? And which team will cover the point spread? Plus, how will the over/under betting odds in Bengals vs. Steelers shake out? To the NFL predictions machine!
Can the Cincinnati Bengals Pull Out a Win as the Medium-Heavy Favorites vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Somewhat quietly, the Bengals have now won three of four games. They become much more intriguing knowing they're coming off a buy week; historic results show that teams above .500 coming off one week of rest are overwhelmingly likely to pick up a victory.
Granted, Cincinnati doesn't need to be well-rested to beat the Steelers. They are working off a Week 10 win over the New Orleans Saints, but their offense has been a disaster for most of this season. Pittsburgh has scored more than 20 points just once all year. And now they're going up against a Bengals squad that ranks in the top 13 of both rushing and passing defense.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how this ends. And now, the continued absence of Bengals star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase doesn't change the calculus. He is reportedly still walking on crutches, which is a problem for the long term. But the Bengals just hung 42 points on the Carolina Panthers in Week 9 without him.
The Steelers defense should be similarly forgiving. They rank 31st in passing touchdowns allowed and 28th in net yards allowed per passing attempt. Their rushing defense has been strong up front all season, which could cause problems for Cincy. But Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has looked more at home taking on more passing volume in recent weeks.
Overall, this is an easy decision for us. We're taking the Bengals to beat the Steelers and never looking back.
OSB Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals (-268)
Yes, the Bengals Can Generate Enough Offense to Cover the Spread vs. the Steelers
Here are the latest NFL point spread betting odds for Bengals vs. Steelers in Week 11:
- Cincinnati Bengals, -4.5 (-115)
- Pittsburgh Steelers, +4.5 (-105)
We're going to be honest: We expected this spread to inch closer toward 6.5 or 7.5 points. The Bengals are outscoring opponents by an average of two touchdowns—14 points—during their five victories. Their offense can be on the inconsistent side, but what about the Steelers is supposed to intimidate them?
Pretty much all of Pittsburgh's losses, meanwhile, have come by more than five points. Perhaps we're not weighting the Steelers playing at home enough. None of their losses in Pittsburgh have come by double digits.
And yet, based on how Cincy had been playing leading into their Buy Week, we expect this game to be the Steelers' first double-digit home loss of the season.
OSB Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals, -4.5 (-115)
Go Ahead and Smash the Over in Bengals vs. Steelers
Below you can see the latest NFL over/under betting odds for Steelers vs. Bengals in Week 11:
- Over 41.5 (-110)
- Under 41.5 (-110)
We get why oddsmakers went with a lower over/under. The Steelers are averaging all of 15.6 points per game on the season, and just 33.3 percent of their games overall have cleared the over.
However, this is too low. The Bengals are averaging 30 points over their past four games, and their recent play-calling suggests they'll continue to try running up the score through the air.
Unless you think the Steelers are at risk of scoring fewer than 10 points, we're not worried about this one hitting the under. It's possible, of course. But for all of their problems, Pittsburgh has scored fewer than 20 points at home this season only once.
OSB Prediction: Over 41.5 (-110)
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