Bengals vs Packers Odds - Improved Packers’ defense shows teeth against Bengals
Online betting players were shocked last week by the outcome of Cincinnati’s game with Denver, which went down to the wire. The Bengals will have to shake it off quickly, as they try to turn around their woes on the road against Green Bay. However, they’ll run into a defense that switched schemes over the offseason.
Bengals vs Packers odds: Packers -9 (Total: 44.5)
- WHAT: NFL Week 2 betting
- WHEN: Sunday, September 20, 1:00 PM ET
- WHERE: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
- KEY STAT: Cincinnati was 1-7 on the road last year
- PICK: Green Bay -9; under the total of 44.5
Bengals vs Packers odds: The Storyline
The Bengals are trying to bounce back from their 12-7 loss to Denver in which they were, literally, seconds from victory before the Broncos’ Brandon Stokley caught a tipped pass and took it 87 yards to the house. The Packers used an opportunistic defense and a clutch play by Aaron Rodgers to hold off Chicago 21-15. Can the Bengals recover from victory getting snatched right out of their hands?
Bengals vs Packers odds maker breakdown: Offense
Carson Palmer threw a couple of costly picks in the Bengals’ loss, but there were a couple of positives that came out of this unbelievable game. Chad Ochocinco had 89 receiving yards and looked much better than any point in 2008, and Palmer had a fine game, minus the picks. The Packers didn’t put up a boatload of yards, but Rodgers was efficient, and they didn’t turn the ball over. We’d like to see an improvement on third down, where Green Bay was 4-of-14. However, Cincy wasn’t much better, converting five of 15 attempts. Betting Edge: Packers
Bengals vs Packers odds maker breakdown: Defense
The Bengals stopped Denver on nine of 12 third-down attempts, and were well on their way to a win before Leon Hall’s tipped pass fell right into Stokley’s hands; you had to feel bad for Hall, who was just trying to redirect it away from any Denver players. The Packers picked off Jay Cutler four times in his Chicago debut, and with this 3-4 defense, Green Bay had the Bears off-balance all night long. Who knew that the defense was the key to the Packers’ sports betting chances? Betting Edge: Draw
Bengals vs Packers odds maker breakdown: Special Teams
Quan Cosby and Andre Caldwell had some good returns, but the special-teams ace for Cincinnati was punter Kevin Huber, who landed five of his seven punts inside the 20. Green Bay rookie Jordy Nelson averaged over 31 yards on kickoff returns, and seven yards on punts. Betting Edge: Draw
Bengals vs Packers odds maker breakdown: Notable Injuries
Receiver Chris Henry was questionable before the Denver game with a thigh injury, and he had only one catch against the Broncos. The Packers didn’t have rookie No.1 pick B.J. Raji and corner Will Blackmon in the lineup, and we’ll have to wait and see if they can practice this week. Betting Edge: Cincinnati
Bengals vs Packers betting breakdown: Outlook and Pick
The Bengals lost seven of eight away from home last year, while the Packers have won four of their last six at Lambeau Field. It was impressive how good Green Bay was without Blackmon and Raji, who were to both play big roles in the defense. The front seven was always in Cutler’s face, and the secondary was good enough to act on his mistakes. Palmer didn’t make good decisions in his first game back since Week 6 of 2008, and playing a defense like Green Bay’s isn’t the best think for his confidence right now. The Green Bay defense will also be the reason that the score goes under the posted total of 44.5, as the Bengals shouldn’t be able to score more than 14 against them. However, Cincinnati has a good enough defense to keep the Packers from scoring 30. D.J.’s PICK: Green Bay -9; under the total of 44.5
For more NFL odds, props and matchups throughout the season, visit the offshore sportsbook at BetOnline.com. For more on the Bengals vs Packers matchup, check out our stats section. D.J. Tomkins is one of BetOnline.com's NFL experts.
