Another AFC duel in the NFL is on tap in Week 16 on Saturday, December 24, and here you can get the best Bengals vs. Patriots betting pick and odds.

Cincinnati is searching for the seventh consecutive victory when they take on New England at Gillette Stadium. The Bengals are -3.5 favorites on MyBookie Sportsbook, while the total is set at 41.5 points. These AFC rivals haven’t faced since 2019.

Bengals are red-hot at the moment

The Cincinnati Bengals (10-4-0, 11-3-0 ATS) played in a hot and cold form in the first half of the season, but now are reminding us of the team that played in the Super Bowl last year. Cincy is on a six-game winning streak, and after beating Kansas City and Cleveland at home, they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-23 on the road. The Bengals trailed 17-0 late in the first half but responded magnificently in the second 30 minutes and scored 31 points to get a comeback victory. Although the Bucs were better in total yards (396-237), the hosts committed four turnovers opposite Cincinnati’s one.

Joe Burrow completed 27 of 39 passes for 200 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Ja’Marr Chase led the team with 60 receiving yards and a score on seven receptions, while Tyler Boyd, Mitchell Wilcox, and Tee Higgins also found the end zone through the air. The Bengals were down early in the game, so they didn’t use their run offense much. Cincy had 53 rushing yards on 21 attempts. On defense, Logan Wilson was a monster with a game-high 15 tackles and one sack.

DE Trey Hendrickson (wrist), DE Sam Hubbard (calf), and TE Drew Sample (knee) are out indefinitely. TE Hayden Hurst (calf) and CB Cam Taylor-Britt (shoulder) are questionable to face the Patriots on Saturday.

Patriots have beaten themselves in a loss to the Raiders

The New England Patriots (7-7-0, 7-6-1 ATS) lost three of their previous four games and now are in jeopardy of missing this year’s playoffs. The latest defeat came against the Las Vegas Raiders on the road. New England came from 17-3 behind to take a 24-17 lead, but the hosts tied the game with 32 seconds to go. Instead of a kneel-down action and overtime, the Patriots tried a lateral pass by Jakobi Meyers that ended in Chandler Jones’ hands. Jones got a pick-six and won the game 30-24 for Las Vegas.

Mac Jones completed 13 of 31 passes for 112 yards. Jakobi Meyers, who blew up at the very end and gave a win to the Raiders, led the team in receiving yards with 47 yards on two receptions. Rhamondre Stevenson had a career-high 172 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Defensively, Ja’Whaun Bentley led the Pats with ten tackles.

WR DeVante Parker (head), CB Jalen Mills (groin), RB Damien Harris (thigh), and CB Jack Jones (knee) are questionable to feature on Saturday against the Bengals.

Trends:

Cincinnati:

  • 6-0 ATS in the last six games after accumulating less than 250 total yards in their previous game
  • 4-0 ATS in the last four games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game

New England:

  • 2-7 ATS in the last nine games when playing as the underdog
  • 0-3-1 ATS in the last four Saturday games

Cincinnati Bengals vs. New England Patriots Pick

While these two teams are very close when it comes to defense, the Bengals have a better offense that averages 26.4 points per game. New England is averaging exactly five points less than the Bengals per contest, and that’s the biggest reason I am going with Cincy here. Also, the Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now and are still in the race for the regular-season AFC title. The Pats are still fighting for a playoff spot, but I don’t think they are good enough t make it this season. New England is relying on run offense more than on the pass, but Cincy has a top 10 run defense that allows 109.6 yards per game, so the hosts will have a hard job moving the chains.

Pick: Take the Bengals at -3.5 (-110)

The Total

The Bengals scored 20+ points in each of their previous six games, and I do not doubt that Joe Burrow and co. will produce at least 24 points on Saturday. New England is good in defending the air, allowing 202.0 yards per game to the opposing receivers, but the Patriots did allow 24+ points in there of their last four games. Over is 4-1 in the last five H2H meetings; Over is 4-0 in the previous four H2H duels in New England, while Over is 7-2-1 in the Bengals’ last ten games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game.

Pick: Go Over 39.5 points (-130)