The Bengals are staring at their biggest favorite role of the season so far, and oddsmakers don’t seem to think Week 8 will be much of a sweat.
Cincinnati opened as a 10.5-point favorite over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at home, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The total sits at 46.5, with the Bengals listed at -625 on the moneyline.
It’s a significant number for Cincinnati, which has gone 3-3 against the spread in 2026. The line has pushed into double digits after opening at 6.5 points, making this the largest spread the Bengals have been favored by since the season started.
That comes on the heels of Cincinnati finally cashing a ticket last week. The Bengals had gone three straight games without covering before beating the Baltimore Ravens 35-13 on Sunday, even with Lamar Jackson out for Baltimore.
After that win, Zac Taylor made it clear he wanted his team to treat it like a step, not a finish line.
"I think this was a really good team," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said after a 35-13 win on Sunday. "This is as well-rounded [of] a team as you play in the NFL in all three phases, with the talent and coaches they have.
So, I think to go on the road and get a win like this, it just reaffirms that we can be who we think we are. It doesn't mean it's going to happen if we show up next week and don't have a great week of practice, or go lay an egg - then what was this one for?
"So, I am confident that we built this team with the players that understand that and don't need to be reminded of that. They know, 'Hey, this was a great win, but it's one win in 17 games. We have to be able to quickly move on to Tennessee and put together another great performance.'"
The Bengals are 4-2 on the 2026 season and will try to build on that when they host Tennessee in a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday. Robert Saleh’s Titans come in at 1-6.
In Other News...
Bengals Just Gained A Real AFC North Edge Over Pittsburgh
The Bengals win over the Ravens did more than bump Cincinnati to 4-2, it also strengthened the feeling that this team has a real path in the AFC North. A strength-of-schedule breakdown from Computer Cowboy on Twitter points to one of the more favorable remaining slates in the league for 2026, which helps explain why the Bengals are drawing plenty of attention as a playoff team with division-title upside.
November is where that edge starts to take shape on the field, with a run of games that should tell a lot about how sturdy Cincinnatis position really is. The Bengals still have to handle the week-to-week grind, but the combination of their early record and the schedule in front of them has them sitting in a better spot than most of their division competition right now. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Just Raised A Franchise-Altering Question After Crushing Baltimore
For one half, it looked like Cincinnati was staring at the same familiar problems. Then the Bengals flipped the game on Baltimore completely, rolling to a 35-13 win that suddenly gives this season a different feel. The offense did not find the end zone before halftime, but once the second half began, Joe Burrow and company turned the matchup into a showcase, and the defense matched it by keeping the Ravens out of rhythm and limiting them to 13 points.
Burrow finished with four touchdown passes, and the pass rush added four sacks as Cincinnati put together its most convincing performance of the year. It was also the kind of result that changes the conversation around a team, especially with the Bengals now riding a two-game winning streak and owning a plus-41 point margin on the season. After a start that left plenty of questions, the bigger issue now is what this version of Cincinnati might look like if it keeps showing up. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrow Just Turned The Bengals Into An MVP Watch Team
Joe Burrow and the Bengals came out of Week 7 looking much more like the kind of team that can hang around the AFC race than the one that stumbled through stretches earlier in the year. Cincinnatis 35-13 win over Baltimore was not just a divisional statement, it was another reminder that when Burrow is locked in, the offense can look every bit like one of the leagues most dangerous units. The victory gave the Bengals a marquee result against a Ravens team that had been one of their measuring sticks, and it came with Burrow steering a second-half surge that strengthened his case in the NFLs award conversation.
Burrows MVP buzz is no longer just a byproduct of big-name recognition. He has climbed into the thicker part of the race, and the next stretch of games will go a long way toward showing whether this is a real push or just an early-season spike. The competition at the top is crowded, which means every efficient outing and every win matters even more for Cincinnati, especially if Burrow keeps pairing production with results in games that carry real weight. [Read more 🡒]
