It’s a Monday Night Football doubleheader! The Buffalo Bills host the Jacksonville Jaguars at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals follow with an 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. We’ll focus on both Week 3 matchups and some of the bets you can take on DraftKings Sportsbook. You can also check out all of our NFL content on DraftKings Network here.
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Buffalo Bills -5.5 (-110)
This line seems low. It stinks. It screams trap. This is the type of bet the sharps love to talk about.
They can talk all they want. They can call the Bills -5.5 a bet for squares. The sharps can move on to MNF Game 2 between the Commanders and Bengals. Joe Q. Public wants early action and that’s what they’ll get. It’s Josh Allen and a dominant defense against an inconsistent Trevor Lawrence. Lay the points.
What is there to worry about? The Bills’ pass defense could be better, but they shut down Marvin Harrison Jr. in Week 1 and Tyreek Hill last week. The Jags’ pass attack could be better, too (26.3% third-down conversion rate). Lawrence hasn’t looked great this season and his weapons are not elite. The Jags are 0-2 and have their backs against the wall. They’re motivated, but so are the Bills. The Jags have upset the Bills twice in the last several seasons. The Bills want payback and know not to take the Jaguars lightly.
Buffalo’s lineup may lack the stars of previous seasons, but the Bills are still a good team. Allen is a top-5 quarterback and the offensive line is playing well. With that combination, James Cook and Khalil Shakir could be stars by the end of the season. They’re not stars yet, but they do not need to be. All Allen needs is to manage the game and limit mistakes at home on Monday night. That’ll be good enough to cover the spread.
Cincinnati Bengals -7 (-112)
It’s not hyperbole to suggest that Cincinnati’s season is on the line. Only the 1992 Chargers have started 0-3 and made the playoffs. The slow starters in stripes need to shake off their sluggish execution. All seemed well last week but the Bengals didn’t have enough to overcome Patrick Mahomes and the other men in stripes. A Harrison Butker game-ending field goal reverted “Burrow-Head” back to Arrowhead. It was a bad beat but an easy cover (+6.5). The line flips this week. The Bengals are laying seven. That’s a sizable number. But if the Bengals can nearly win in Kansas City, they should thrive in front of a raucous Cincinnati stadium.
The Bengals offense stumbled out of the gates in Week 1. That happens when players sit out preseason snaps. Even with the rust, the Bengals were only a few bungles away from getting in rhythm and winning. They were sharper in their second game, but the Bengals were still suspect in the statistics. Week 3 should be another step towards solidity, but that’s not the real story. This game is about Lou Anarumo’s defense. The brilliant DC is still in Cincy after the team struggled last season. A head coaching job will have to wait, but a dynamic defensive scheme in the spotlight on Monday Night Football will boost the DC’s C.V.
Anarumo has the weapons and the game plans to shut down any QB. Cincinnati held Patrick Mahomes in check last week. A rookie quarterback should be no problem for the Cincinnati defense. This situation is similar to the early game. Cincinnati succeeds by limiting mistakes and making Jaden Daniels make mistakes.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
