Cincinnati Bengals open underdogs against the Green Bay Packers

There's just something about having the underdog label. When the Bengals were heavily favored, there was enough anxiety that it could have filled all 10,000 lakes in Minnesota -- or the Pacific Ocean. In a way, that just shows my age and experiences with the Bengals prior to the Marvin Lewis era.

Despite playing at home, the Bengals will resume their underdog role when the Green Bay Packers head to Paul Brown Stadium this Sunday. According to most "organizations", the Packers are 2.5 favorites but in reality the range is anywhere from one to three points.

It could be worse.

The Seattle Seahawks opened at 19.5-point favorites, hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday afternoon. It's not the highest difference either. There have been 11 point spreads of 19.5 points or higher, and the favorites covered the spread three times.

As for the Bengals, they covered the seven points last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers but pushed against Chicago.