Just like the opening odds, the NFL picks experts only slightly like the Cincinnati Bengals in their Week 5 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.
The locale itself — Paul Brown Stadium — might explain most of this considering this is a staredown between winless teams.
Over at NFL Pick Watch, which accounts for the picks of more than 100 experts, the Bengals have been picked as the winner at a 60 percent clip.
It could always be worse right? The Bengals last played at home for their PBS opener and took a 41-17 shellacking. Last time out this past Monday, an embarrassing performance by the offensive line derailed everything.
But experts seem hesitant with Cardinals rookie passer Kyler Murray on the road, which is a fair angle to take even though he’s shown flashes of living up to his hype already.
And the Bengals have had problems with young, mobile quarterbacks in the past. Pair that history with the poor angles and athleticism displayed from the defense so far and this one might end up closer than the experts seem to think.
Indeed this has the feel of a 50-50 game and boasting the advantage of playing at home is only so important given Cincinnati’s first homestand. Hindsight here will say much about how experts approach the Bengals for the rest of the season.
