Bengals vs. Packers Point Spread: NFL Week 6 Odds, Prediction
Joe Flacco is the next man up in Cincinnati as the Bengals look to pull off a major upset in Green Bay this weekend. Cincinnati traded for the 40-year old quarterback on Monday after they suffered their third consecutive loss since an injury to Joe Burrow. Flacco will start for the Bengals this weekend, which adds a little unknown element to this Bengals offence. Bottom line is something had to change in Cincinnati after scored 37 points combined the last three weeks.
Green Bay’s coming off a bye week and when Sunday morning comes, the Packers will officially be winless for over a month straight. The Packers are 2-1-1 on the season but started 2-0, last claiming a victory on September 11 versus Washington. Green Bay got healthier over the bye week too as both right tackle Zach Tom and left guard Aaron Banks have returned to practice.
Kickoff at Lambeau Field goes at 4:25 p.m. EDT with the Packers a 14-point favourite at home and the over-under at 44.5 on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
A trio of double-digit losses also means the Bengals have not covered in three straight games, and oddsmakers are beginning to make Cincinnati a perennial double-digit underdog. Green Bay’s started the season 2-0 both outright and ATS on home field, with the under hitting in each game. The Packers allowed over 18 points for the first time this season when they took the field last, albeit that came in a 40-40 shootout at Dallas two weeks ago. As crazy as it is that Joe Flacco is spot-starter for the Bengals this week, the football gods couldn’t script up that kind of production from this struggling Cincy team.
Green Bay enters this weekend having won seven of their last eight against an AFC opponent. Covering has been a different story, as the Packers are 1-4 ATS in their last five against the AFC North. Four of the last five Bengals–Packers contests played in Green Bay have finished over the total.
Cincinnati Bengals
Last week’s 37-24 defeat was the last chance for Jake Browning to guide this Bengals offence under centre. In reality, this was a 28-3 game after three quarters in which Browning’s unit made look a little prettier thanks to three scores in the final 15 minutes. Ja’Marr Chase’s first touchdown in the fourth quarter marked Cincy’s first major in 20 possessions, not including kneel-downs.
The problems don’t just lie with Browning and this QB change won’t fix things overnight. The Bengals defence is third-worst in the NFL with 30.2 points allowed per game and 391.2 yards allowed per game. On offence, the Bengals are getting nothing on the ground with a league-worst 3.1 yards per rush attempt. Is a 40-year-old Flacco going to turn everything around? Probably not, hence another disappointing weekend and season looming for Cincinnati.
Green Bay Packers
It’s hard to believe that after a dominant 2-0 start, Green Bay went a full month without winning a football game. The Packers are also a game out of last in the NFC North, so hosting Cincinnati this weekend is a complete get-right game. The offensive line could literally be getting back to the right group this weekend as right tackle Zach Tom and left guard Aaron Banks could both returning to the starting five. This would be huge for Josh Jacobs, who has just 266 yards on 80 rushes this season (3.3 yards per attempt).
Jordan Love is at exactly 1,000 passing yards through four outings, and only tight end Tucker Kraft has more than 200 of those yards. Depth has always been a strength in Green Bay — that is until the pending breakout of rookie receiver Matthew Golden that most predict. Golden is coming off easily his most productive outing of the season where he caught five passes for 58 yards in the tie at Dallas.
CIN
GB