Philadelphia is facing a sneaky tough test in Cincinnati.
Despite winning their last two games and entering their next matchup with a better record than their opponent, the 4-2 Philadelphia Eagles are not favored in Week 8. The Birds opened as 1.5-point road underdogs to the 3-4 Cincinnati Bengals, according to FanDuel.
Of course, the line is actually showing some respect to the Eagles since the Bengals are less than standard three-point home favorites.
But it’s not hard to argue Cincy is better than their losing record indicates. They actually have a positive point differential at +12, which ranks 16th best in the NFL (and just right ahead of the 5-2 Houston Texans). The Bengals entered Week 7 ranked 13th overall in DVOA, seven spots ahead of the Eagles at 20th.
Here’s an overview of their resume thus far:
- Week 1 vs. New England Patriots: 16 to 10, LOSS
- Week 2 at Kansas City Chiefs: 26 to 25, LOSS
- Week 3 vs. Washington Commanders: 38 to 33, LOSS
- Week 4 at Carolina Panthers: 34 to 24, WIN
- Week 5 vs. Baltimore Ravens: 41 to 38, LOSS (overtime)
- Week 6 at New York Giants: 17 to 7, WIN
- Week 7 at Cleveland Browns: 21 to 14, WIN
As you can see, the Bengals have managed to bounce back from an 0-3 start. They’re 3-1 in their last four games with the sole slip up being a down-to-the-wire overtime loss to a very good Ravens team.
A big driver of the Bengals’ recent success? That Joe Burrow dude. Turns out he’s still pretty good. Burrow currently leads the NFL in passer rating (110.1) with 14 touchdown passes to just two interceptions. The Eagles’ defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown in their last two games but Burrow will clearly be a much biggest test for Vic Fangio’s unit than the likes of Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones.
Oddly enough, home field advantage hasn’t worked in the Bengals’ favor this season with the team going 0-3 at Paycor Stadium thus far. Can the Eagles drop them to 0-4 as Cincy plays in their all-white uniforms?
I lean towards liking the Bengals’ odds in what’s nearly a pick ‘em.
What say you?
