The Denver Broncos (1-2) host the Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) in the second game of the Monday Night Football doubleheader on September 29. Kickoff for MNF from Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. The game will broadcast live on ABC.
The Broncos are 7.5-point favorites over the Bengals on the spread (Broncos -7.5), with the over/under set at 44.5 total points. Denver is a -450 favorite to win on the moneyline and Cincinnati is a +325 underdog.
Continue below for our Bengals vs Broncos picks for Monday Night Football, which include predictions for the spread, game total and a Ja'Marr Chase player prop.
Bengals vs Broncos Picks & Predictions
| Game | Time (ET) | Best Bet |
|---|---|---|
  | 8:15 p.m. | |
| 8:15 p.m. | |
| 8:15 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NFL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Bengals vs Broncos Odds
- Bengals vs Broncos Moneyline: Bengals +325, Broncos -450
- Bengals vs Broncos Total: 44.5
- Bengals vs Broncos Spread: Bengals +7.5, Broncos -7.5
Odds via bet365
Bengals vs Broncos Against the Spread Prediction
The first place I look when handicapping the NFL is in the trenches.
The Bengals' offensive line is in complete shambles, which is tanking their season. Even with Joe Burrow, their lack of physicality in the run game combined with their inability to protect was a major concern.
Cincinnati is last in the league in adjusted line yards per rush. Chase Brown has 47 carries this season for 93 rushing yards.
The Broncos haven’t been stellar at defending the run through three games, but there is little reason to be optimistic that the Bengals' ground attack will suddenly turn the corner.
More importantly, the Broncos' pass rush will be the difference maker in this game, especially if Denver gets out to an early lead.
The Broncos have a 50% pressure rate this season, which is the best mark in the NFL. When Jake Browning has been pressured this season, he has completed just 43% of his passes, throwing four interceptions without a single touchdown.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor knows he can’t force Browning to hold the ball for very long, which has caused his average depth of target to fall below five yards per attempt. Without the ability to throw downfield, it’s difficult to envision the Bengals having any success offensively.
Broncos QB Bo Nix hasn’t had a strong start to the season but the offense as a whole is in a great spot to bounce-back. The Bengals have surrendered 361 rushing yards to opposing backfields over the past two weeks.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton will make things easy on his quarterback by exploiting this vulnerable Bengals defense on the ground and calling a heavy dose of play-action plays.
Lay the points with Denver at home.
Pick: Broncos -7.5 (-110)
Bengals vs Broncos Over/Under Prediction
By Billy Ward
Through two weeks of Jake Browning – one of which he played just over half of the game – we’ve got extremely different results.
In his emergency season debut, Browning threw for more than 240 yards and had two touchdowns (while playing about 70% of the game) against the Jaguars.
He followed that up with a terrible performance in Minnesota, leading the Bengals to just 10 points against a tough Vikings defense, while throwing two interceptions to just one touchdown.
The big question for Week 4: which defense do the Broncos most resemble?
I think the answer is the Jaguars — both Jacksonville and Minnesota rank ahead of Denver in DVOA this season. Which isn’t to say Browning is going to look like Joe Burrow – but he could do enough to keep this game close.
If he does, this Monday Night Football game could turn into a shootout. The Bengals defense is terrible, ranking 25th in DVOA and 28th in points per game allowed despite facing three relatively poor offenses thus far.
Plus, both quarterbacks in this game being fairly mistake prone should lead to some short fields, if not defensive touchdowns, which further elevates the scoring potential.
The total has now dropped to 44.5 at even money – which feels way too low when the Bengals allowed 48 last week.
Pick: Over 44.5 (+100)
Bengals vs Broncos Player Props
By Kyle Murray
The splits for Ja'Marr Chase with Jake Browning have not necessarily been ideal, but I certainly think there are some positives in the underlying numbers.
Chase had five receptions last week despite the Bengals getting ran off the field in a blowout loss to the Vikings that led to decreased playing time.
Additionally, it is clear the Bengals want to get the ball in Chase's hands with short passes and screens — we have seen Chase's aDOT drop significantly when playing with Browning.
I also think the Bengals will look to move Chase around the formation to avoid Dolphins CB Patrick Surtain, thus giving Chase better matchups compared to Tee Higgins.
Pick: Ja'Marr Chase Over 5.5 Receptions (+105)
