How bad is Cincinnati? I will go out on a limb and say not so bad… anymore. Before you call me crazy, read on.
Yes, the Bengals started out pathetic. In their first six games, they were outscored on average 8 to 30. Ouch. But let’s analyze their recent performance…
Over the last five games, they are outscoring their opponents 26 to 25! In these games, they have played four very solid opponents in Tennessee, Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. They destroyed the one patsy they played, Houston, 38-3. And, they showed a lot of heart last week overcoming a 17-point deficit to nearly beat a suddenly excellent Pittsburgh team. In fact, the Bengals were one play each away from winning the last two weeks. Cincinnati is still a bad team, but not nearly as bad as most people think. They now get a field goal at home against a Ray Lewis-less Ravens team that is mediocre.
Take the Bengals and the points.