This one was slated to be a premier NFL matchup. Two of the teams with the biggest stockpile of offensive weapons in the NFL. Unfortunately, with Joe Burrow out with an injury, it’s not looking like quite the game it was supposed to be. I try to remember that whenever I complain about some of these roughing the passer calls.

That said, we can’t write off the Bengals just yet. We’ve seen Jake Browning string together some decent performances in the past. And anything can happen with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown getting the ball in their hands. So maybe we’ll still get a decent game after all. Let’s dig into the narratives, data, and injuries to make some predictions for this Week 5 matchup!

Even if you just want to see the Lions vs. Bengals odds and have Lions vs. Bengals picks of your own, don’t forget to scroll down at the end to see how you can scoop up a $1,500 BetMGM Sportsbook sign-up bonus! 

Lions vs. Bengals Predictions For NFL Week 5, Sunday 4:25 PM ET

Given that these teams play in different conferences, they rarely meet up. They’ve only played each other twice over the last decade, in fact, in 2017 and 2021. The 2021 game was the only one during the Jared Goff/Joe Burrow era, and the Bengals won 34-11. In fact, the Bengals have beaten the Lions in 7 straight and in 10 of the last 11. But these are far different teams after three seasons, and there’s no Joe Burrow this week, so that doesn’t matter much to us now.

The Lions are a better team than their 2-2 record shows. They lost two tough games to the Ravens and Packers on the road while easily defeating the Bears and Browns at home. The Bengals won their opener against the Browns but have lost three straight without Joe Burrow to the Jaguars, Vikings, and Broncos. 

 

 

 

Detroit Lions: Loaded With Weapons

The one thing the Lions don’t need is more weapons. They have not one but two high-end running backs in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Amon-Ra St. Brown is so good that they sometimes have a hard time getting it to their other stars in Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta. Even rookie Isaac TeSlaa has flashed when given the opportunity. Even if the offensive line isn’t as dominant without Frank Ragnow, Jared Goff has all the tools he needs to succeed.

In the modern NFL, no team routinely plays more than half the game in man-to-man coverage.  But the Lions are often the closest - last year they led the league at 45% and so far this year they are top five again, sitting just above 40%. They have one of the best safety pairings in the league in Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph to help out so they can get away with it. Up front, Aiden Hutchinson and crew have been getting after the quarterback just fine as the Lions are currently tied for second with 3.5 sacks per game. 

Cincinnati Bengals: Struggling Without Joe Burrow

The Bengals also have great weapons in Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown. But that really doesn’t matter without a quarterback. And the offensive Lion has not done any favors for Jake Browning either. Per Pro Football Focus, the Bengals currently grade out as a bottom-five pass-blocking unit and as the worst run-blocking unit in the league. 

The Bengals' offense was always supposed to be the crown jewel of this team - the defense has a couple of nice pieces like Trey Hendrickson, but they are easily a bottom-half unit as a whole. And, with the offense giving them little time to rest, they’ve been more like a bottom-five unit thus far, especially against the pass. They’ll be without first-round rookie Shemar Stewart this week as well. 

 

 

 

Lions vs. Bengals Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

As promised, the latest Lions vs. Bengals odds can be found below courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook:

 

 

 

Lions vs. Bengals: Game Total Over 49.5 (-110 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

I’ve never been a fan of betting double-digit spreads in the NFL. These are all still professional football players at the end of the day. What I am willing to do is bet high on over/unders if the conditions are right. And I think these are the right conditions.

The Bengals are an absolutely atrocious run-blocking team. They’re going to be forced to throw here, and with the amount of man-to-man that the Lions play, I think Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will be able to create some separation here. It took Jake Browning a couple of games to get acclimated last time he started, so I’m not fully writing him off yet.

On the other side of the ball, we know the attitude of Dan Campbell. He doesn’t take his foot off the gas. He had no problem going for it on fourth down and running the score up against his former co-worker Ben Johnson. And Ben Johnson wasn’t even upset because he knows that’s what Dan Campbell does. Anyone expecting this one to go under because the Lions are going to be “up by too much” has not been paying attention to Lions football. In that Bears game, they hung 52 points and would have hit the over/under by themselves. 

 

 

 

Lions vs. Bengals Injury Report & Latest News

Finally, let’s take a quick look at the projected starting lineups for both teams heading into tonight’s matchup:

DET Lions

CIN Bengals

 

 

 

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