Monday Night Football this week features the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys in a game both teams need to win. Both teams have had their share of struggles this season, but a win this week would provide some much-needed momentum as the final month of the season comes around. The Bengals are favored by six points going into this showdown, while the total has been set at 45.5. Continue reading to get our NFL picks for Bengals vs Cowboys from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.
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Can Bengals Defense Take Advantage Of MNF Opportunity?
The Cincinnati Bengals were torched on defense once again in Week 13, giving up over 40 points to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. They could not stop the passing game of the Steelers in that matchup, dropping to 4-8 on the year as a result. Now, the Bengals playoff hopes are on life support, making their Week 14 game against the Cowboys a must-win game on Monday Night Football.
Cincinnati is being handed a golden opportunity in this game, as their struggling defense has a chance to get on track against Cowboys backup quarterback Cooper Rush. But that might not be enough for the Bengals to get stops on defense, as they have done a horrible job of slowing down their opponents with any sort of regularity throughout the 2024 campaign.
Whether or not the Bengals can get stops against Rush and the Cowboys in this game, the Bengals will look to continue airing it out on offense to give themselves a chance in this game. Joe Burrow didn’t start producing in large numbers until the late stages of last week’s loss to the Steelers, when the Bengals needed to throw over and over again to try and catch up. He will need to be better early in the game to avoid this game getting away from the Bengals.
Cowboys With Extra Prep Time After Thanksgiving
Last week, the Dallas Cowboys hosted their annual Thanksgiving Day game against the New York Giants. They won that game in resounding fashion, with the game not being as close as the 27-20 final score would indicate. This week, the Cowboys have some extra time to prepare for Monday Night Football, as they go from playing in the middle of the week in Week 13 to the very end of the Week 14 schedule.
Dallas has won two games in a row with Cooper Rush at quarterback, beating the Washington Commanders before beating the Giants. Rush has thrown four touchdown passes to just one interception over the last three weeks for the Cowboys. He has been a steady hand, even if he lacks the high ceiling that Dak Prescott has brought to the table for the Cowboys for many years.
On defense, the Cowboys pass rush will be more important than ever against the Bengals. Getting pressure on Joe Burrow will give Ja’Marr Chase and the rest of the dangerous receiving corps for Cincinnati less time to create separation against the Dallas secondary. That means Micah Parsons and company will need to step up in a big way to help the Cowboys if they are going to win a third straight game.
Bengals vs Cowboys Prediction
Our best bet for Bengals vs Cowboys is for the Dallas Cowboys to cover the spread as a home underdog. Cincinnati has been so bad on defense that they should not be laying this many points against anyone. Even if Dallas has a backup quarterback on the field, they have proven over the last couple of weeks that they are competent offensively and that should continue this week in Arlington.
