The experts weren’t a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, with most of them siding with the Seattle Seahawks.
Those experts turned out to be correct — but hardly. This time out, a majority of experts polled think the Bengals will beat the San Francisco 49ers in their home opener at Paul Brown Stadium.
At NFL Pick Watch 66 percent of the more than 100 experts polled as of this writing have picked the Bengals to win the game. Only five other teams have a higher percentage of experts in their corner.
The numbers smack a little odd because the Bengals lost in Week 1 and the 49ers picked up a win on the road in Tampa Bay.
But the oddities end there. San Francisco stayed in Ohio instead of traveling back home, then back again, so that seems like an advantage for the Bengals in itself.
And those Bengals outgained and outplayed Seattle on the road in the new coaching staff’s debut, getting 150-plus yards from John Ross, a passable game from a patchwork offensive line and a strong defensive showing.
Sunday, the same line will have to counteract Nick Bosa and others and the defense will have to contend with star tight end George Kittle. But if the Bengals can match their level of play from a week ago, getting a win at home seems likely.
The experts concur, so we’ll have to see if they can make it two in a row.
