Green Bay Packers vs Cincinnati Bengals Picks, Odds, Best Bets – NFL Preseason Week 1

• The Green Bay Packers travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals in preseason NFL action
• Jordan Love is expected to play in this one, while Joe Burrow is out with injury
• A look at the Packers vs Bengals odds and matchup can be found below with a prediction

Ready or not, the Jordan Love era begins in Green Bay.

The heir to the throne vacated by Aaron Rodgers is his to assume, and we may actually see him in NFL Preseason Week 1 action when the Pack visit the Cincinnati Bengals.

Last year’s AFC Central champions definitely won’t have Joe Burrow in the lineup as he recovers from a calf injury, but there should be plenty of intriguing battles for roster spots for both sides, beginning with backup QB and so on down the line.

Action gets underway Friday (Aug 11) at 7pm ET from Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. You can watch the game live on NFL Network.

Packers vs Bengals Odds

The NFL odds have the host Bengals as 4.5-point underdogs, with Green Bay favored at -198 on the moneyline, an implied win probability of 66.44%. It must be the preseason, because the total is set at 35 points.

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Pack Leading With Love

Green Bay would love nothing more than for Love to slide into the starting pivot position as seamlessly as Rodgers did years before when the franchise was moving on from Brett Favre.

The 2020 first-round pick has thrown just 83 passes in his young career, with three TDs and three interceptions.

But there are workable pieces here that could just help the young signal caller. This includes an above-average offensive line that should be anchored by veteran David Bakhtiari, who’s been dinged up the past couple of seasons. There’s a battle at right tackle between Yosh Nijman and Zach Tom.

Jordan Love with about as perfect a throw you can make 😎pic.twitter.com/YICi5etgSQ

— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) August 9, 2023

They also have a strong running game led by Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. Coupled with a very good defense, Green Bay could be interesting, maybe even frisky, depending on how good Love is.

Week 1 would be a chance to see how he meshes with a new group of pass catchers beyond starters Christian Watson and Romeo Doubbs. That includes rookies Jayden Reed and Luke Musgrave, who’s already pencilled in as a starting tight end. Fellow tight end Tucker Craft  is questionable after suffering a knee injury in camp.

Tyler Goodson, Lew Nichols, and Patrick Taylor are all vying for the third back duties, while Sean Clifford, Danny Etling and Alex McGough are all in the running to back up Love. All should see plenty of snaps this preseason.

Bengals Prepared to Protect Burrow

Turns out, keeping Joe Burrow upright is the best way for him to dissect defenses, which is why Cincinnati went to work this offseason to build up that line. It started with a big payout to land left tackle Orlando Brown Jr from the KC Chiefs.

That originally had former first-rounder Jonah Williams seeking a trade, but with La’el Collins on the shelf due to ACL recovery, Williams has every opportunity to hulk up the right side. With center Ted Karras and RT Alex Kappa on the inside, this line should be considered a Cincy strength, which was such a weakness the last couple of years.

Joe Burrow's first appearance at camp in 13 days.

The bucket hat.
The shades.
The sleeve.
The walk.

Get all of it. Right here. #Bengals @fox19 pic.twitter.com/MvgqKepE4L

— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) August 9, 2023

With the hopes they’ll never have to use their backup quarterback for  anything other than blowouts and kneel downs, there is still an intriguing battle for backup QB. The veteran in the mix is 31-year-old Trevor Siemian, who has 30 NFL starts under his belt.

He’ll be up against 27-year-old Jake Browning, who has yet to make a roster after practice squadding both in Minnesota and Cincinnati for two years each.

Packers vs Bengals Prediction

This one should be going to the backups early, think something like the late first quarter.

With so many offensive stalwarts expected to be sidelined in preseason play, this should look more evaluation than entertainment.

I do think Love will take his opportunities and put some points on the board, and that should be the bulk of the scoring in this one.

Pick: UNDER 35 points (-110)