ESPN survivor pools show just how unexpected Bengals' loss to Patriots really was

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated Sep 9, 2024 10:35 AM ET

Confidence in the Cincinnati Bengals taking care of business was very high this week, which makes a 16-10 loss to the New England Patriots even more stunning. A good number of football fans can attest to that.

Per Mike Reiss, 30% of ESPN's Eliminator Challenge participants picked the Bengals to win. All of them are now eliminated for the entire season.

From @ESPNStatsInfo: The Bengals were selected by 30% of Eliminator Challenge participants, most of any team this week.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 8, 2024

The Bengals closed as 7.5-point home favorites in their matchup against the Patriots. No other team was favored to win more this week, which explains why so many people picked them to win.

While Cincinnati didn't have wide receiver Tee Higgins out there and were thin at defensive tackle, advantages existed all across the board over their visiting opponent. When you have the better quarterback and offensive line on paper, you should be expected to win.

Joe Burrow looked especially underwhelming, as has become tradition regardless of his health in the first quarter of the season. He rarely pushed the ball down the field as New England bottled up a Higgins-less passing attack.

Cincinnati's defense provided some stops during the second half, but 170 rushing yards allowed ended up being too much. Missed tackles continue to be a major problem for coordinator Lou Anarumo to solve.

With a road game against the rested Kansas City Chiefs next up, the Bengals might go from the most popular pick to the least popular pick in survivor pools.

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This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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