NFL pick of the day · Thu, Aug 13 · 7:00 PM ET
Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals Defense Is a Mess, But Detroit's Is Worse
The pick: Cincinnati Bengals -6.5 at −110
Lost. Final: Detroit Lions 14, Cincinnati Bengals 16.
Cincinnati -6.5 at home against Detroit is the pick, and the argument rests on one uncomfortable fact: the Lions' defense is ranked 22nd in the league at 24.3 points allowed per game, and they're walking into a Bengals offense that has been playing in a pace environment ranked 2nd in the league at a 53.3 combined pace proxy. The Lions' recent form is real, but it hasn't been stress-tested against a home team that generates this kind of offensive volume.