Game Preview of Cincinnati Bengals @ Green Bay Packers. Week 6 of 2025 NFL Season
The Packers host the Bengals on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Kickoff is 1:00 PM ET. The market paints a clear picture. Green Bay sits as a two-touchdown favorite, while the total hovers in the mid-40s.
Cincinnati turns to a new plan at quarterback. The board lists a Joe Flacco passing line, which hints at his role, but the Bengals still deal with injuries across the offense. Several linemen are questionable, and Joe Burrow is on injured reserve. That raises volatility for any Bengals production.
Green Bay’s profile is steady. The Packers excel on third down and create chunk gains through the air. Their defense limits explosive passes, which forces long drives. If their banged-up offensive line holds up, they can stay on schedule and keep pressure off the defense.
The matchup leans Green Bay because of efficiency. The Packers’ passing traits and third-down edge match well against Cincinnati’s weak pass defense and poor stop rate. The question is whether the Bengals can find a spark with a veteran quarterback and survive the pass rush with a thin line.
| Date | Opponent | Result | ATS | O/U |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-28 | @ DAL | W 40-40 | W +-7.0 | o47.5 |
| 2025-09-21 | @ CLE | L 10-13 | W +-8.5 | u41.5 |
| 2025-09-11 | vs WAS | W 27-18 | W +3.5 | u48.5 |
| 2025-09-07 | vs DET | W 27-13 | W +1.5 | u48.5 |
| 2025-01-12 | @ PHI | L 10-22 | L 5.5 | u45.5 |
| 2025-01-05 | vs CHI | L 22-24 | W +10.0 | o41.5 |
| 2024-12-29 | @ MIN | L 25-27 | L -1.0 | o49.0 |
| 2024-12-23 | vs NO | W 34-0 | W +14.0 | u44.0 |
| 2024-12-15 | @ SEA | W 30-13 | W +-3.0 | u48.0 |
| 2024-12-05 | @ DET | L 31-34 | L 3.0 | o53.0 |
Packers thrive on third down. Green Bay converts 53.6% of third downs (best percentile), a sign of sustained drives and time of possession.
Cincinnati’s defense allows chunk plays. The Bengals give up explosive passes at 8.8% (low percentile), which pairs poorly vs Green Bay’s explosive pass rate of 9.4%.
Packers defense takes away the deep ball. Only 2.4% of opponent passes become explosive plays against Green Bay (elite percentile), which compresses Cincinnati’s passing ceiling.
Bengals red zone can still finish. Despite struggles, Cincinnati’s red-zone TD rate is 72.7% (high percentile), so they can convert if they get there.
Injuries shape usage. With Christian Watson Out, Green Bay’s targets tilt to other receivers and tight ends. For Cincinnati, multiple Questionable linemen can impact sack rate and rush efficiency.
Small-sample flags. A few edges rely on limited reps, like a single fourth-down try for Cincinnati and 10 goal-line snaps for Green Bay; treat those with caution.
Spread anchor: Packers -14.5 (-104) is the closest listed number; Green Bay’s third-down edge and CIN’s explosive-pass allowed support the favorite, but it’s still a big number with variance.
Total anchor: 44.5 with Over -114 and Under -103. Green Bay efficiency points to scoring, but GB’s defense limiting explosives can drag pace.
Jordan Love Over 237.5 pass yards (-119): CIN allows explosive passes 8.8% and struggles on third down, which boosts volume.
Joe Flacco Under 203.5 pass yards (-120): GB allows explosive passes only 2.4% of the time; fewer easy chunk gains caps the ceiling.
Romeo Doubs Over 40.5 rec yards (-119): Matchup flow favors intermediate shots vs a defense prone to chunk plays.
Josh Jacobs Anytime TD (-233): Price is steep, but Packers team total sits at 29.5 (Over -120), implying red-zone chances.
Green Bay’s identity fits this spot. The Packers stay efficient on money downs and limit explosive passes on defense. That combination wins drives and field position. If their questionable linemen are active, the offense should stay on schedule.
Cincinnati brings uncertainty. The market is hanging a low-200s passing line for Joe Flacco, and the Bengals’ line health is shaky. They do finish in the red zone at a strong rate, but getting there is the challenge against a defense that squeezes big plays.
From a numbers view, the listed spread is heavy, and heavy favorites carry variance. If you bet the side, price discipline matters. On props, Love passing overs and Packers pass-catcher yardage profiles line up with the Bengals’ explosive-pass leak. Flacco unders make sense against a defense that limits chunk throws, though late-game volume can cut both ways.
Bottom line: Green Bay has the cleaner path. Cincinnati needs turnovers or short fields to flip the script. Monitor inactives for the o-lines and Josh Jacobs. If the Packers are close to full strength up front, the matchup leans to the home favorite and a methodical game around the mid-40s total.
| Statistic | Offense | Rank | Defense | Rank | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Points | 104 | #20 | 156 | #3 | |
| Total Points Per Game | 26 | #9 | 31.2 | #30 | |
| Total Touchdowns | 12 | #18 | 19 | #31 | |
| Passing Touchdowns | 8 | #11 | 12 | #31 | |
| Rushing Touchdowns | 4 | #15 | 6 | #26 | |
| Other Touchdowns | 0 | #32 | 1 | #29 | |
| Total Kicking Points | 32 | #23 | 34 | #21 | |
| Total Two Point Conversions | 0 | #30 | 0 | #16 | |
| Kick Extra Points | 11 | #16 | 19 | #1 |
| Statistic | Offense | Rank | Defense | Rank | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Passing Yards | 931 | #24 | 1295 | #3 | |
| Net Passing Yards Per Game | 233 | #11 | 259 | #4 | |
| Passer Rating | 113 | #3 | 101 | #10 | |
| Passing Attempts | 121 | #31 | 177 | #26 | |
| Completions | 84 | #29 | 120 | #7 | |
| Completion Percentage | 69.4 | #10 | 67.8 | #21 | |
| Passing 1st downs | 46 | #25 | 70 | #32 | |
| Passing 1st Down % | 56.1 | #16 | 59.8 | #23 | |
| Longest Pass | 57 | #13 | 40 | #30 | |
| Passing Fumbles Lost | 1 | #16 | 1 | #10 | |
| Receiving Targets | 110 | #31 | 172 | #6 | |
| Receptions | 84 | #29 | 120 | #26 | |
| Receiving Yards After Catch | 558 | #13 | 832 | #32 | |
| YAC Average | 6.6 | #2 | 6.9 | #31 |
| Statistic | Offense | Rank | Defense | Rank | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing Yards | 458 | #26 | 661 | #26 | 🏈 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game | 114 | #18 | 132 | #8 | |
| Rushing Attempts | 121 | #24 | 153 | #29 | |
| Yards Per Rush Attempt | 3.8 | #26 | 4.3 | #17 | |
| Rushing 1st downs | 25 | #30 | 38 | #24 | |
| 20+ Yard Rushing Plays | 1 | #25 | 2 | #16 | |
| Long Rushing | 25 | #24 | 30 | #22 | |
| Rushing Fumbles | 1 | #25 | 2 | #16 | |
| Rushing Fumbles Lost | 0 | #26 | 0 | #20 |