The Cincinnati Bengals starting 0-3, including two brutal losses to teams they’re supposed to be far ahead of, hasn’t stopped them from coming out far ahead in NFL Week 4 picks.
Most experts just don’t see the Bengals dropping to 0-4 with a loss to the Carolina Panthers, no matter how alluring that Andy Dalton revenge game storyline might be.
Jordan Mendoza for USA Today takes the Bengals, 25-23:
It’s tough to trust the Bengals after three weeks, but on paper, they should defeat this Panthers squad. Andy Dalton has given the team a spark but they fall just short in a game that’s a lot closer than it should be.
Over at NFL.com, every expert of the five polled take the Bengals by at least six points, with Dan Parr writing the following about the matchup with Dalton:
Yes, I enjoyed the Red Rifle’s Week 3 revival as much as the next guy, but he is not anywhere close to the dynamic dual threat that the Bengals’ Week 3 torturer, Jayden Daniels, is right now.
Three of the four experts at ESPN pick the Bengals, too, with Seth Walder writing the following: “The Bengals will put up 34-plus points. Offense has not been Cincinnati’s issue — the team ranks seventh in EPA per play on that side of the ball — and it is going against a weak Carolina defense. I think lots of points will be scored, but the Bengals will pull away and win easily.”
It’s hard to pick against the Bengals right now, despite that winless record. They flopped in Week 1 for a variety of reasons, gave the Chiefs a good game and then needed perhaps just a single, actual defensive stop and they might have won against the Commanders.
Barring a dramatic case of playing down to the competition, this could be the week the Bengals finally prove the experts right.
