2019 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 5

Arizona Cardinals (0-3-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-4)

Sunday, October 6, 1PM ET

How exhilarating! A battle of the winless teams. Those are always classics that fans everywhere can’t help but tune into. Okay, enough with the nonsense. Unless you’re a fan of one of these teams, there’s a good chance you’ll have zero interest in watching this game.

With that said, it probably won’t be a bad one — at least if you enjoy plenty of scoring aided by awful defense. That’s exactly what this game will feature, with both of these clubs boasting defenses near the bottom of NFL barrel. However, one will bend slightly more than the other before the final whistle blows.

I’m predicting that it’ll be the Arizona Cardinals’ defense that finally snaps in this one. They’ve been among the worst pass defenses in the NFL this season, giving up 271 yards per game with 10 touchdowns allowed and zero interceptions. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals boast the third-ranked pass offense, albeit with only five passing touchdowns to show for their efforts.

In the end, that’ll be the difference. Andy Dalton has a strong outing, putting up 300+ yards and three touchdowns through the air to earn the Bengals their first victory of 2019. As for the Cardinals, their underwhelming start to the Kliff Kingsbury/Kyler Murray era rolls along like a deflated tire.

Prediction: Bengals win 36-31