Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The Seattle Seahawks will not face an NFC North team for the first time in four games when they visit the unbeaten Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The Seahawks just finished a stretch where they went 2-1 straight-up against the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions but 1-2 against the spread.

Point spread: Bengals opened as one-point favorites; the total was 44.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 27.3-17.4 Bengals

Why the Seahawks can cover the spread

Seattle has played to the level of its competition for the most part this season, the exception being the second half against the Bears, whom the Seahawks dominated in the last two quarters. That’s good news in this spot, because the Bengals are perfect so far, and the Seahawks will try hard to become the first team to hand them a loss this year.

Head coach Pete Carroll has gotten his team back on track at home against two inferior opponents, even though Monday night’s 13-10 win over the Lions was probably too close for his liking. The Green Bay game also got away from Seattle in the second half, and Carroll will likely challenge his team to play a full 60 minutes for its first road win.

Why the Bengals can cover the spread

The Bengals have looked outstanding on both sides of the ball early on, responding to every challenge when games get close. Last week against the Kansas City Chiefs was another one in which they took a narrow 14-12 lead into halftime before taking charge in the third quarter and blowing it open en route to an easy 36-21 win.

Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton has looked more poised than ever and hasn't gotten flustered following a dropped pass or turnover. Dalton’s effort against the Chiefs was nothing short of outstanding, as he completed 17 of 24 passes for 321 yards with one touchdown and also set up four rushing scores by Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard.

Smart pick

The Seahawks have performed much better at home defensively and will not have the advantage of the 12th man at Paul Brown Stadium. Meanwhile, the Bengals are playing much more efficiently on offense than they have in years, which gives them a huge edge in this matchup.

The passing and running games are more balanced than ever for Cincinnati, and Seattle will have a tough time keeping up on the scoreboard, especially if running back Marshawn Lynch is out again. Bank on the Bengals to win and cover this one.

Betting trends

The total has gone over in five of the Seahawks’ last six games against the Bengals.

The Seahawks are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games on the road in October.

The Bengals are 4-0 SU and ATS in their last four games.

All point spreads and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.