Cincinnati Bengals vs Green Bay Packers Prediction: Bengals can not be written off at home

On Saturday, the Green Bay Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals square off against one another at Paycor Stadium for their first preseason game of the NFL season.

The Cincinnati Bengals have just completed back-to-back seasons in which they won double-digit games and are now looking to win three in a row for the first time since 2013–2015. The Bengals are one of the few teams that, for the most part, are aware of their strengths and weaknesses and are looking to improve their depth in order to climb over the hump. However, due to Joe Burrow's injury, we will be seeing a significant amount of Jake Browning and the seasoned Trevor Siemian in the quarterback position. Both of these individuals are competing for the position of backup quarterback, which is extremely important in light of Burrow's calf strain, which is anticipated to keep him out for several weeks. The Bengals drafted Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas back in April because they were looking for another receiver to join Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. Because of this, the Bengals are also hunting for another receiver. When it comes to punting, the Bengals are considering rookie Brad Robbins and veteran Drue Chrisman as potential options for the team. At Michigan, Robbins had a yardage average of 43 per punt, while Chrisman's season didn't end on a very strong note. Now, heading into this new season, the Cincinnati Bengals have a solid grasp of their personnel on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

For the first time since 2007, Arron Rodgers will not be starting as quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, ushering in a new era for the franchise. At this point, Danny Etling, Sean Clifford, and Alex McGough are all competing for the position of backup quarterback. All three of them have been getting reps throughout camp. There is competition for the right tackle position between Josh Nijman and Zach Tom. Because of his versatility, Tom is a possibility for either the right tackle or the center position. Nijman, though, appears to be the frontrunner for the job. On the defensive side of the ball, the Green Bay Packers need to find someone to take the place of Adrian Amos at safety. Jonathan Owens, Rudy Ford, and Tarvarius Moore are just three of the many high-caliber athletes who are in the running for that position. There are also others. After failing to make the playoffs the previous season and not having a Hall of Fame quarterback to fall back on when things get difficult, the burden of keeping the ship afloat has been placed on Matt LaFleur.

Due to the fact that the Cincinnati Bengals are going to rely heavily on Browning and Siemian and the fact that Burrow is out with an injury, it is quite understandable that the Green Bay Packers are given the benefit of the doubt in this situation. In spite of this, I avoid laying more than a field goal in meaningless preseason games because of the high degree of unpredictability that typically accompanies such contests. With the Bengals playing at home, we have a 4.5-point advantage. That is a 1.5-point increase from what I typically consider to be a comfortable lay in preseason action. In addition, regardless of whether or not it is the preseason and despite the fact that Burrow is injured, the Bengals are still the superior club from one end to the other. As a result, the Cincinnati Bengals will have my support when playing on their home field.