Preview of Week #2 of the 2009 NFL Season – Packers v. Bengals

Here is an abbreviated preview of the Green Bay Packers v. Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field at noon on Sunday:

Offense:
The Packers offense had a lack luster showing last week against the Chicago Bears until their final drive when Aaron Rodgers hit Greg Jennings for a 50 yard go ahead touchdown to beat the Bears.

The Cincinnati Bengals only put seven points on the board last week against the improved Denver Broncos defense; don't expect that to be a trend the whole season with the likes of Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco.

Defense:
The Packers defense picked up where they left off in the preseason. New Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers gave the Bears a number of different looks, which kept the Bears offense off balance all day. They forced Jay Cutler to throw four interceptions in his Bears regular season debut.

The Bengals defense gave up a back breaking fluke 87 yard touchdown with only seconds remaining in their game last week to lose to Denver 12-7. Look for them to rebound defensively this week against the Packers.

Special Teams:
The Packers have a shaky punter and place kicker while the Bengals have a rookie punter and a veteran place kicker.

Bottom Line:
The Packers are favored by 9 points and the under/over is 42 points. If I were a betting man (and I am not) I give the edge to the Packers and the over. That said, it doesn't matter what I think because the only thing that matters is what happens on the field on Sunday.