It’s a new era for one of the NFL’s most storied franchises.
For the first time in almost two decades, quarterback Aaron Rodgers won’t be on the sidelines when the Green Bay Packers kick off the preseason Friday (7 p.m. ET, NFL Network) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. It’s now Jordan Love‘s team, and expectations in Green Bay surely reflect that.
Read on as we break down the odds for both teams’ preseason opener.
Packers vs Bengals Odds
NFL odds used for this Green Bay vs Cincinnati preview were found at DraftKings Sportsbook and are current as of Aug. 3 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Packers (-130) • Bengals (+110)
- Spread: Packers -1.5 (-110) • Bengals +1.5 (-110)
- Total Points: Over 32.5 (-110) • Under 32.5 (-110)
- Implied Score: Packers 17, Bengals 15.5
Packers vs Bengals Predictions
Score Pick: Packers 20, Bengals 14
Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow is no stranger to missing preseason games. The COVID-19 pandemic knocked out the entire preseason during Burrow’s 2020 rookie season, and he appeared in just one game the following summer while recovering from knee surgery. Last preseason, it was an appendectomy that sidelined him.
Burrow is now out again, this time with a strained right calf. Cincinnati plans to hold a competition to back up Burrow, with Trevor Siemian (signed to a one-year contract in May) battling Jack Browning. Browning took the lion’s share of snaps last summer and performed adequately, completing 65.5% of his passes for 286 yards and a touchdown.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has been ultra-conservative in the preseason. Exactly zero starters on both sides of the ball played last August, including All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. While Taylor recently said he’s open to amending that, he will still tread carefully. That won’t change. Because of that, Cincinnati is only 3-7 under his watch in the preseason.
The Packers will be cautious, too, though they’ve yet to decide how much to feature Love. They don’t want to expose him too much for fear of injury, but Love needs the work. After sitting multiple seasons behind Rodgers, the training wheels are now off.
Given that, look for Green Bay to have a slight edge.
Packers vs Bengals Best Bets & Props
Bengals Under 15.5 Points (-105)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
Burrow obviously won’t play, and neither will a majority of Cincinnati’s other starters. Green Bay may take a similar approach, though head coach Matt LaFleur, whose team is picked to finish last in the NFC North, is open to getting Love some work. Regardless, it won’t be much. Teams have too much to lose and too little to gain this early in the preseason.
Defenses are generally ahead at this point, often resulting in low-scoring affairs between third- and even fourth-stringers. This one won’t be much different. Take the Bengals hitting their projected Under as our NFL bet of the day.
Packers -1.5 (-110)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
Over its last seven preseason games, Green Bay is 0-7 straight up and 0-6-1 against the spread. Does that mean it’ll continue to lose all the time away from Lambeau? No, of course not. If anything, it seems coincidental. Starters play little, if at all, in the preseason, giving those on the back end of rosters a chance to carve out a bigger opportunity for themselves.
Both teams will be trying to get out healthy. Judging by how Taylor and the Bengals have treated the preseason in the past, Green Bay may field marginally more talent. That’s why I’ll be giving the Packers a slight edge.
Packers Win by 1-6 Points (+320)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
Over a third of preseason games last season were decided by six points or fewer, including two of Cincinnati’s three contests. The preseason is a time when winning takes a backseat to development and learning, and teams generally don’t step on the gas when given the opportunity. Expect that trend to continue here.
Packers vs Bengals Same Game Parlay
There are no Packers vs Bengals parlays offered at the time of writing.
