The Cincinnati Bengals opened up as a 2-point home favorite at BetMGM over the Philadelphia Eagles in a Week 8 contest and the Over/Under total on this game was set at 48.5. A little money has come in on Cincy and the line has ticked up to -2.5. The O/U has ticked down from 48.5 to 47.5.

These teams live in opposing conferences so they don't meet that often. The last get together was back in 2020 in Philly and wound up as an ugly 23-23 knot. The Eagles were a 4-point favorite and failed to cover, while the Over/Under total which was listed at 47.0, went low by a stick.

And if look-aheads are part of your handicapping homework, the Bengals stay home for a game against the Raiders while the Eagles head back to Philly to host the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Cincinnati Bengals Odds Week 8

Odds as of Oct. 22 at BetMGM

Eagles vs Bengals Pick Week 8

Eagles +2.5 (-105) at BetMGM

For those that checked in on Ecks last week, we put some money in the wallet with a play on the Bengals and they posted a 21-14 win over the Browns. We mentioned the 23-23 tie back in 2020 and while Carson Wentz was slinging for the Eagles, Joe Burrow was under center for the Bengals. Sure the personnel has changed but Burrow was on target, hitting 31 of 44 for 312 yards and 2 TDs.

Back to last week when Joe was 15 of 25 for 181 yards with 2 TDs and 0 INTs. Still does not look like Burrow is clicking on all cylinders, even though Ja'Marr Chase (5 grabs for 85 yards) and Tee Higgins (4 grabs for 82 yards) are starting to heat up. Maybe the reason that Joe B is not killing it is because the running game is basically non-existent.

Last week, Cincy picked up only 59 yards on the ground, with RB Chase Brown getting 44 yards and WR Chase sprinting for 11. That AIN'T gonna make it against the Eagles. Why? Because Philly's D has improved dramatically since the start of the season and are now LEADING the NFL the last few games, allowing only 4.4 yards per play.

And if you wanna check out the rushing stats, it's a YUGE mismatch. The Eagles have this guy with thighs that are thicker than a redwood. Saquon Barkley put on a show last week against the Giants, rumbling for 176 yards on a 10.4 average per carry. Don't know if Barkley is gonna get 10+ every carry, but we can tell you that Cincy's defense has more holes than my Swiss cheese sandwich. They rank 30th in opponent rush EPA and Saquon is SO excited he took an early flight to Cincinnati.

We introduced one of our key handicapping angles in the UNLV/Boise State preview and we're calling it 'LEGO-METRICS,' or how a team builds a season. Sure Cincy has won three of the last four, but look at the YUCK they beat. A 34-24 win over the 1-6 Panthers, a 17-7 win over the 2-5 N.Y. Giants and a 21-14 W against the 1-6 Browns.

Actually, the Bengals have NOT won a game against a team with a winning record. Kinda strange, but the Eagles also have not played the cream of the NFL crop, with one exception. They picked up a 34-29 W in the opener against the 5-2 Packers.

While Jalen Hurts was pretty accurate last week against the Giants, hitting 10 of 14 (71.4%), it seems like he is still getting used to Cam Jurgens who replaced the great Jason Kelce at center. And unfortunately, his All-Pro T Lane Johnson has been in and out of the lineup. But Hurts is still clicking at almost 70% of his passes and if Deshaun Watson was able to complete 15 of 17 before getting hurt, it could be a long slog for the Cincy D.

Bank of Benj is wide open for the Green Birds.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Cincinnati Bengals Betting Trends