Craig Ellenport backed Cincinnati to cover the -3.5 number in their Week 2 home opener against Jacksonville. Ellenport acknowledged every red flag that bettors are citing: the Bengals have dropped three straight home openers and five of their last six, Joe Burrow’s offense managed only 17 points and was scoreless after halftime in Week 1, and the franchise has not started 2-0 since 2018. Even so, he is "still on the Bengals bandwagon," believing the defense that stifled Cleveland will keep Trevor Lawrence in check and that Burrow’s attack will bounce back in front of a home crowd eager to end the streak. The pick leans on historical regression—Ellenport expects the negative opener trend to flip—and the modest 3.5-point spread that only asks Cincinnati to win by more than a field goal.