Pats Pulpit Picks: Picks, predictions, best bets for Bills vs. Bengals

The Buffalo Bills (-1.5) will face off with the Cincinnati Bengals (+1.5) on Monday Night Football in a battle of two AFC heavyweights. The game is in Cincinnati and the No. 1 seed in the conference is still in play for both teams meaning it should be a rowdy crowd.

Buffalo can win this game and be in sole possession of the top seed heading into Week 18. Their high-powered offense is led by quarterback Josh Allen, who is also likely their best runner of the football so he can hurt you in different ways. His platoon of weapons includes Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs in an offense that is very hard to contain.

They are also really good on the defensive side of the football despite losing Von Miller for the year. The unit is led by safety Jordan Poyer and has a bunch of guys capable of making plays. They will have their hands full with a great Bengals offense, but look for them to possibly force some turnovers.

Games like this are when the Bengals offense is most dominant because quarterback Joe Burrow loves the moment. He tends to rise to the occasion and others around him get better. They did lose their best offensive linemen, La’el Collins, for the year but still have some dominant weapons. Look for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to have big roles in this game.

Cincinnati also has a scrappy defense that has actually been really good this year. They are led by a safety as well, with Jessie Bates III as the unit’s leader. They have great players at all levels and guys who are willing to play through injuries for one another. Look for this group to slow down the Bills offense and open some eyes on primetime.

The Bills are 4-point favorites according to the oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook. Let’s take a look at the Pats Pulpit staff’s picks for the game:

Player Prop of the Night

Joe Mixon Over 50.5 Rushing Yards (-130): A big key in this game will be time of possession and the Bengals need to get Joe Mixon going to have the advantage. He has been up and down all season but gets a generous number in this one. Look for Mixon to have a solid game and finish with at least 51 rushing yards.