Lions vs. Bengals Point Spread: NFL Preseason Week 1 Odds, Prediction
The NFL preseason kicks off its full slate of games on Thursday night as the Detroit Lions travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals at 7 p.m. ET in a matchup of 2025 disappointments.
After two consecutive NFC North titles, the Lions dropped to 9-8 and missed the playoffs entirely last year. The loss of wunderkind offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to Chicago clearly impacted the offence, which averaged nearly five fewer points a game in 2025. It will now have its third OC in three seasons.
For the second time in three years, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow missed a significant portion of the season with an injury. This time, it was a turf toe that sidelined him. The team finished 6-11, the franchise’s first losing campaign since 2020, and missed the postseason for the third straight year. Coach Zac Taylor, in his eighth season, is very much on the hot seat.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Bengals are 6.5-point home favourites on the NFL odds, with a -270 moneyline, while Detroit is at +220. The total is listed at 38.5 points.
Taylor is 4-14 straight up and against the spread in the preseason with the Bengals. Campbell is 6-10 straight up and 7-9 against the spread.
Detroit Lions
Even without Johnson, the Lions still had the fifth-highest-scoring offence last season at 28.3 points per game. Jared Goff finished second in the NFL with 4,564 passing yards, while Jahmyr Gibbs had 1,839 yards and 18 touchdowns from scrimmage. He just became the league’s highest-paid running back.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams both had over 100 catches and over 1,000 yards receiving. And defensive end Aidan Hutchinson returned from an injury-marred 2024 campaign to register 14.5 sacks, good for fourth in the league.
And unless Campbell has changed his philosophy, you most likely won’t see any of Detroit’s headliners, or many other of their starters for that matter. Goff, Gibbs, St. Brown, and Williams did not see game action in last year’s preseason.
Cincinnati Bengals
Taylor is different. Last year, Burrow went 9-for-10 with 123 yards and two touchdowns in the Bengals’ preseason opener, a 34-27 setback at the Philadelphia Eagles. Ja’Marr Chase, who finished third in the league in receiving with 125 catches and fourth in yards with 1,412, had four catches for 77 yards and a score.
Taylor cannot afford another of the team’s annual slow starts. The Bengals dropped at least their first two games every year between 2022 and 2024. Last season, Cincinnati started 2-0, but lost Burrow in the process, then dropped four straight with backup Jake Browning under centre.
It all comes down to Burrow, who threw for an average of 270 yards and led the team to a 3-3 record in the final six games after returning last year. He still has All-Pro Chase Brown and Tee Higgins on the outside, and Brown went over 1,000 yards on the ground.
Look for many of Cincinnati’s starters to at least play a series or two.
NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Lions vs. Bengals?
Campbell doesn’t need his starters out there. Taylor does, at least for a couple of series. Look for the Bengals to take an early lead, with those fighting for roster spots to duke it out the entire second half.
Take the Bengals at home to cover the spread, 24-17.