Cincinnati Bengals vs Green Bay Packers preview, prediction & betting tips, NFL preseason August 11, 2023
The NFL preseason kicks off this weekend on Friday (Aug. 11), as the Green Bay Packers head to Cincinnati to play the Bengals at 7 p.m. ET.
The Packers and Bengals have been doing joint practices ahead of the preseason clash and multiple fights have ensued to add some hype to this preseason game.
It's expected that Jordan Love will play at least a couple of series on Friday for the Packers while some reports indicate he could play the entire first half. The quarterback has said in the past that he likes preseason to get back into the game mentality. The veterans that have their roster spot and starting position on lock likely won't play for the Packers, but fans will likely get to see Love play.
As for the Bengals, Joe Burrow will not play as he's dealing with an injury, while it's expected that Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins also won't play. Playing quarterback for Cincinnati will be Trevor Siemian, Jake Browning, and Reid Sinnett, with Siemian likely getting the first quarter or half.
Bengals vs. Packers prediction
With the Cincinnati Bengals likely not playing much of their starters, the Packers are -192 favorites on the betting line and -4.5 point favorites on the spread.
With Jordan Love under center, I do expect Green Bay's offense to be motivated to have success and make him look good. He's the new franchise quarterback and all the talk out of camp is he has been having success.
If Love can pick apart a lot of Cincinnati's second and third-stringers, the Packers should be able to get out to an early lead before pulling him.
For the Bengals, without their top receivers and the backup quarterbacks playing, Cincinnati will have a tough time moving the ball and going deep as they usually do. Even though they are playing at home, the Bengals won't be risking injury for any key player in this game.
Prediction: Packers win.
Bengals vs. Packers betting tips
-192 is too high of a price to pay for a preseason game, even with the Green Bay Packers likely playing a bulk of their starters. Instead, I have faith that Love will leave the game with a sizeable lead and the Bengals' offense will struggle which is why taking Green Bay at -4.5 at -110 is a good way to attack this game.
As for the over/under, 35 seems a few points too low as I do like the over in this one, especially if Love does play the entire first half as talked about.