Bengals’ late surge vs. Lions wasn’t nearly enough to sway how betting markets view their next game against Packers

Another week for Cincinnati as a massive underdog.

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer
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Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor watches the video board after Jake Browning is sacked for a safety in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 5 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Detroit Lions at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. The Bengals continued a losing streak, falling 37-24 to the Lions.
© Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t quite replicate what the ending of Super Bowl LI, but they did put up a fight down 28-3 in what ended up being a 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions.

A 13-point loss at home is yet another damning wound for the Bengals to take after starting 2-0. Now sporting a 2-3 record, they will go take on the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field this coming Sunday.

Another 13-point defeat would actually be a success if you’re betting on Cincinnati to cover the spread in Green Bay.

Bengals are the second-biggest underdog of the 2025 season so far against Packers

The opening line for the Bengals’ Week 5 matchup against the Packers is 14.5 points, with Cincy being the underdog. The Bengals were just 10.5-point underdogs this past week against the Lions (the spread was originally 9.5 points).

10.5 points was a lot, but 14.5 is another level, and only one other team can say they’ve been underdogs to this degree so far this season.

The New Orleans Saints were 15.5-point underdogs two weeks ago against the Buffalo Bills. New Orleans was 0-3 going on the road against 3-0 Buffalo at the time. The Saints did lose, but covered the spread with a 12-point loss. 12 points was the spread of the second-largest spread of this season before this week. The Miami Dolphins were underdogs by that amount against, again, the Bills. Miami also covered with a 10-point defeat.

14.5 points is tied for the largest spread not favoring the Bengals in the Zac Taylor era. Cincinnati not only covered that spread, but won outright by 10 points against the Pittsburgh Steelers late in the 2020 season. Taylor’s Bengals are 4-7 against the spread when it’s 10 points or more against their favor.

Being the underdog is a reality Cincinnati will need to accept going forward if they can’t keep games even relatively close. Sportsbooks are expecting the same kind of game this week when the Bengals visit Green Bay.

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