Why Gennaro picked the Bengals: Neither of these teams started off the season in impressive fashion, but in an odd scheduling quirk, both just experienced the exact same get-right salve over the past couple weeks: games against the Browns and Giants. Now, after each logging a pair of wins over those two bottom-feeders, the Eagles and Bengals meet in Cincinnati for a matchup that begs one question:

Which would-be contender do you believe in more? Or, for you glass-half-empty types, which underachiever do you trust less?

OK, from a pure record perspective, the 4-2 Eagles are obviously in better shape than the 3-4 Bengals. But with Philadelphia’s staggering 2023 collapse still fresh on the mind, it’s only natural to remain on fraud watch. And this year’s team has supplied ample basis for skepticism: Jalen Hurts is still a far cry from his 2022 MVP runner-up form, Nick Sirianni recently apologized for trolling his own fans, and the Eagles have yet to score a single first-quarter point. Of course, the Bengals have their own issues, starting with a gross inability to play complementary football. The offense and defense seemingly refuse to show up on the same day, and kicker Evan McPherson just hasn’t been “Money Mac.”

So, what’s the play? I’ll ride with the better quarterback on the more desperate team playing at home.