Odds Lions Beat Bengals in Week 5

The Detroit Lions will square off with the currently hapless Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at 4:25 p.m. (EST) at Paycor Stadium. 

The Bengals, losers of two in a row, are coming off a 28-3 defeat at the hands of Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.

Meanwhile, the Lions, winners of three in a row, defeated the Cleveland Browns, 34-10, in rather convincing fashion last week. 

In this Week 5 meeting, Cincinnati will be without starting quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, is out with a Grade 3 turf toe injury that will keep him sidelined for a minimum of three months.

Backup signal-caller Jake Browning, who came in in relief of the injured Burrow in Week 2, has started the last two games for Cincinnati. The Bengals have scored a combined 13 points, and have been outscored, 76-13, in Browning's two starts this season. Each of the two games have resulted in a loss for the Bengals.

Cincinnati is reeling and now gets the chance to square off with the red-hot Lions. Detroit will be looking to notch its fourth straight victory on Sunday in Cincinnati.

This will be the 14th all-time meeting between the Lions and the Bengals, with Cincinnati owning the 10-3 advantage. 

The Lions have lost seven consecutive contests with the Bengals, last defeating Cincinnati in 1992. In the last matchup between the two teams in 2021 (Dan Campbell’s first year as Lions head man), Detroit lost, 34-11, at Ford Field.

Despite having fallen on hard times, the Bengals, which are presently 2-2 and in second place in the AFC North, do possess some quality players on both sides of the ball. 

For starters, they possess a dynamic duo of receivers – Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins – which could do damage against a banged-up Detroit secondary. 

Terrion Arnold and D.J. Reed – the Lions’ starting outside cornerbacks – both suffered injuries against Cleveland in Week 4. While Arnold (shoulder) practiced Wednesday and appears on track to play Sunday, Reed (hamstring) has been placed on injured reserve and must now miss Detroit's next four games: Week 5 against the Bengals, Week 6 against the Chiefs, Week 7 vs. the Buccaneers and Week 9 vs. the Vikings. 

Losing Reed is a significant blow to the Lions’ secondary. Reed, the team's No. 1 cornerback, intercepted a Joe Flacco pass in Week 4 and returned it 34 yards to the Browns’ 5-yard line. It was his first interception as a member of the Lions.

Reed's pick of the veteran Cleveland signal-caller was also his second overall takeaway of the season, with his first being a fumble recovery he secured against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.

The Bengals, meanwhile, are also equipped with All-Pro EDGE Trey Hendrickson, a pass-rusher who was bandied about as a trade target for Detroit this past offseason. 

Hendrickson already has generated two sacks and six quarterback hits this season. He's also totaled 19 pressures through four games. 

Even with these aforementioned playmakers, Cincinnati is averaging just 15.3 points per game – the third-lowest points per game average – and is allowing nearly 30 points a game (29.8). That mark represents the sixth-most points allowed per contest. 

On top of all that, the Bengals have permitted the third-most yards through the air this season (1,048). It should lead to a productive day for Jared Goff and Detroit's passing attack, which has accounted for the second-most passing touchdowns thus far this season (nine). 

This Week 5 matchup with Cincinnati presents Campbell & Co. with a great opportunity to improve to 4-1 on the young season.

At this present juncture, I'll give the Lions a 75 percent chance to capture the Week 5 victory.

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