Detroit Lions picks vs Cincinnati Bengals for NFL Week 5: Will Lions make it 4 in a row?

The Detroit Tigers may have moved on, but at least one Detroit sports team is stuck in Ohio Week, as the Detroit Lions head down I-75 to take on That Other Team Down South, the Cincinnati Bengals in a Week 5 matchup on Sunday, Oct. 5 (4:25 p.m., Fox).

The Lions have won three straight, but are riding a darker skid in the home of Skyline Chili, with two straight losses to the Bengals on the road. Thanks to the NFL’s scheduling system, that means they haven’t beaten Cincy on the road since Nov. 22, 1992 — back when Barry Sanders rushed for 151 yards, Jason Hanson buried four field goals for the Lions and Boomer Esiason threw two picks for the Bengals.

Will the Cincy streak continue? Five Free Press sports writers chime in on that, though, as you might guess with the Bengals starting Jake Browning at QB instead of Joe Burrow (toe), they’re pretty unanimous in their calls.

Dave Birkett

The Lions don't lose to bad teams. They really don't even play close games against bad teams. And the Bengals are a bad team – or at least, not a good one – without Joe Burrow. Cincinnati has scored one touchdown in the past eight quarters, a fourth-quarter TD while trailing, 48-3, in a Week 3 blowout to the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions have the highest-scoring offense in the NFL and lead the league in sack rate on defense. They've played pretty good football since their Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and I don't expect anything different this game. The pick: Lions 34, Bengals 13.

Carlos Monarrez

Ever heard of Jake Browning? Me neither. He’s the Bengals' backup quarterback and the reason Cincinnati’s season has come to a crashing halt with Joe Burrow pretty out for a while with a turf-toe injury. Here’s a crazy stat: The Lions are 0-7 against the Bengals and haven’t beaten them since 1992. That streak ends this week. You can rest easy and go rake leaves by halftime. The pick: Lions 42, Bengals 6.

Rainer Sabin

Now near the quarter-point of the season, the Lions again look like a well-oiled machine. Detroit has scored more than 30 points in each of the past three games, and the defense is starting to wreak havoc with sacks and takeaways. That doesn’t bode well for the Bengals, who have been outscored by a combined total of 66 points in two losses suffered since Joe Burrow went down with a significant turf toe injury in Week 2. Expect the Lions to cruise to their fourth win Sunday. The pick: Lions 35, Bengals 14.

Jeff Seidel

You are gonna have to dig deep into the stats to find any drama in this game. Here’s one question: Will the Bengals score more than 10 points? I mean, consider this: They scored just 13 in their past two games. Combined. Will the Bengals throw for more than 120 yards? They’ve done it just once all season. Or will they have more punts than first downs? The pick: Lions 28, Bengals 7.

Shawn Windsor

The Bengals looked overwhelmed against Denver and Minnesota without Joe Burrow. That shouldn't change against the Lions, who were miffed at their offensive performance against Cleveland. With a full week of practice to smooth out the wrinkles, expect a vintage offensive onslaught from Jared Goff and Co. The Bengals' gifted wide receivers — Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — will make a few plays against the Lions' depleted secondary, but it won't be close to enough. The pick: Lions 37, Bengals 16.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions picks, predictions vs Cincinnati Bengals for NFL Week 5