The Green Bay Packers went into the bye week in good shape, sitting in the top half of the NFC standings with a 2-1-1 record. Despite their current standing in the NFC, many thought the Packers could, and perhaps should, have an even better record than this had they focused more through their final two games.
Green Bay looked like a Super Bowl contender by dismantling the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders in the first two weeks of the season. But a loss to the Cleveland Browns and a tie to the Dallas Cowboys had Packers fans needing a week off just as badly as the team did.
With things getting back to normal, Packers fans are probably taking a look at the schedule and breathing a sigh of relief as the Cincinnati Bengals come to town. But despite The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman reporting that the Packers are opening the week as 14.5-point favorites over Cincinnati, the Bengals represent a sneaky challenge for a team that has lost its focus at times this season.
Packers Can’t Afford to Sleepwalk into Week 6 Matchup vs. Bengals
While the outcomes weren't what anyone involved desired, the argument can be made that the Packers’ last two games before their Bye Week may have been what this team needed. Green Bay cruised through its first two games, leading Rasheed Walker to declare they were going to go undefeated, and prompting Jayden Reed to scream about a Super Bowl appearance from his hospital bed. Confidence is a good thing, especially in professional sports, but that sense of self may have been a detriment in a pair of winnable games.
The Packers struggled to get things going offensively in their Week 3 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. This allowed the lowly Browns to hang around until a blocked Brandon McManus field goal provided Cleveland's Andre Szymt with the opportunity to kick a game-winner of his own in a 13-10 loss for Green Bay.
A week 4 matchup in Dallas was built up to be a mission by the Packers to make Jerry Jones pay for the way Micah Parsons was treated at the end of his tenure with the Cowboys. Unfortunately, another special teams meltdown and some questionable decisions at the end of overtime forced the Packers to settle for a tie.
Perhaps the bye week gave the Packers a chance to regain their focus as the NFC North continues to get tighter. Fans should still be willing to give this bunch the benefit of the doubt in that regard. However, they’ll need to show that going up against a Bengals team that Green Bay should have no trouble handling in Week 6.
The Bengals lost Joe Burrow to a severe turf toe injury and have dropped three straight games with their franchise quarterback out of the lineup. Cincinnati has not only lost those games, but they have been obliterated by a combined score of 113-37. Facing a team that is down that badly at Lambeau Field leaves the Packers with no excuse not to get a win.
Despite Jake Browning's struggles, there’s still enough talent on this roster for Cincinnati to make things interesting. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will test a secondary that allowed George Pickens to catch eight passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns during Week 4, which is a tall task no matter who you have lined up in the defensive secondary. Also, the Bengals may have figured some things out offensively late in Sunday’s loss to the Lions, scoring 21 of their 24 points in the fourth quarter.
With a banged-up offensive line and a team that seems to have mental lapses at the worst time, Cincinnati could be the trap game that no one saw coming. It’s up to the Packers to make sure the Bengals never have a chance and get a much-needed win coming out of the bye.
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