When the 2025 NFL schedule was released back in the spring, the Cincinnati Bengals were not expecting to face Micah Parsons this year. They also weren’t expecting to have Joe Flacco be their starting quarterback in the matchup. Flacco himself wasn’t anticipating playing the Packers twice in three weeks.

The NFL never ceases to surprise us.

Cincinnati is rightfully a major underdog for Sunday’s game against Green Bay, and there’s much to learn about a team the Bengals don’t often play against. I picked the brain of A to Z Sports Green Bay’s Wendell Ferreira to see what’s in store for the Bengals this weekend.

JS: Joe Flacco got an ugly win over the Packers a few weeks back, but Green Bay’s defense played well enough to win. What was your takeaway from that game from him specifically?

WF: Flacco wasn’t efficient in that game, so the defense and special teams were the big reasons why the Browns won. Nevertheless, the quarterback did something that was relevant for Cleveland and can be for Cincinnati against the Packers, which is limiting mistakes and bad plays.

Flacco did have an interception late in the second quarter, but it was an arm punt on fourth down, where an incompletion would have been a more positive play for Green Bay. For the most part, Flacco had a clean game, and that had a part in the Browns ultimately pulling off the upset win. He is not exactly known for taking care of the ball, but the Browns had a more conservative gameplan to limit mistakes.

The big question for the Bengals is if they can sustain a complementary style of football with Flacco limiting turnover worthy-plays and without taking risks, when the defense doesn’t have the same transformative power that the Browns’ unit has.

JS: Micah Parsons has been a man possessed since the blockbuster trade. How has Jeff Hafley let him loose?

WF: Parsons has, in fact, had an insane production for the Packers. He leads the NFL in pressures per game (6.25), and that’s playing limited snaps throughout the first three games of the season. Hafley hasn’t been that creative with Parsons individually, but rather with everything else around him.

The star defender has only had three snaps in the B-gap, but Hafley has moved Lukas Van Ness inside more often to have a personnel package with three natural edge defenders on the field, alongside Parsons and Rashan Gary.

The big difference for the Packers this year is that, with Parsons, the defense doesn’t need to blitz nearly as often. The Packers are still in the top three generating pressure with four-man rushes, which is the best possible way to protect a questionable cornerback room.

JS: There’s been a lot of injuries for the Packers’ offensive line. What’s the outlook for the starting five this Sunday?

WF: The Packers haven’t had star right tackle Zach Tom since Week 1, and left guard Aaron Banks also has been in and out of the lineup. Both got back to practice after the bye, so there’s a positive expectation even though head coach Matt LaFleur hasn’t guaranteed they will play.

Banks is not a difference-maker, but Tom’s absence has been massive for the offense. I argued this week that he is the most valuable non-quarterback player of the offense considering his role, replacement options, and positional value. Last year, he was third in All-Pro votes at right tackle behind Penei Sewell and Lane Johnson.

If Tom and Banks are both back, the Packers could try to go back to their original plan to rotate last year’s first-round pick Jordan Morgan at right guard with Sean Rhyan, a strategy that has been successful despite being unusual for NFL teams.

Final score prediction for Bengals at Packers

Packers 31, Bengals 17

WF: I expect the Bengals to be more effective than the Browns with Joe Flacco at quarterback, simply because of their overwhelming talent at wide receiver. But the Packers’ offense has been excellent, Jordan Love is playing like a sure-fire top 10 quarterback, and the receivers have the lowest drop rate in football after a nightmare season in 2024. With those important offensive linemen back from injury, I’d expect another strong offensive performance for Green Bay.