The Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals will face off in the first week of the NFL preseason tonight. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET from Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The game will be broadcast live on NFL+.
The Bengals are 6.5-point favorites on the spread (Bengals -6.5) with the over/under set at 38.5 (-115o / -105u). The Bengals are -290 favorites on the moneyline and the Lions are +235 underdogs.
Let's get into my Lions vs Bengals predictions for tonight's preseason game.
Lions vs Bengals Predictions, Spread Pick
- Lions vs Bengals pick: Bengals -6.5
My Lions vs Bengals best bet is for the Bengals to cover the spread, with the best price currently available at FanDuel. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
Lions vs Bengals Odds
| Lions Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -102 | 38.5 -115o / -105u | +235 |
| Bengals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -120 | 38.5 -115o / -105u | -290 |
Lions vs Bengals Preview
Lions Betting Preview
Lions head coach Dan Campbell hasn’t historically had the best record in preseason, going 5-10 overall and 1-3 in the opening week. That is in part down to his choices with starters — this year, it’s looking no different.
Campbell has said that Jared Goff and some of his key stars will get reps at some point in the preseason, but it won’t be for this game. Campbell went as far as to say that “even if we didn’t have a quarterback, Goff’s not playing.”
With Teddy Bridgewater retiring, that means QB duties will be shared between Luke Altmyer and Joshua Dobbs, with Altmyer getting a “heavy load” after Dobbs’ recent arrival. Altmyer, an undrafted free agent out of Illinois, now has a great opportunity to show that he’s deserving of a spot on this roster.
Elsewhere, the 17th overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, OT Blake Miller, is confirmed to play and will make his debut. He’s earned praise from Campbell during camp but will need to protect Altmyer well for the Lions to have any hope here.
Bengals Betting Preview
This feels like a big year for Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, who is looking to turn around his team’s annual slow start to the season.
Because the Bengals are typically slow out of the gate when the regular season begins, the coaching staff seems to believe that it is, in part, down to a lack of action for starters in preseason.
Taylor has confirmed that his stars will see the field on Thursday. That means Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown and Ja’Marr Chase on the field, at least for a little while.
Last preseason, we saw Burrow and co. score twice before they were withdrawn from the game, and Taylor would love to see similar here. Keep an eye out for Tahj Brooks too, who has been excelling with his receiving skills during camp.
Behind Burrow, there are veterans in the quarterback room with Joe Flacco, Josh Johnson and Sean Clifford. It’s not totally clear who’ll be getting the reps once Burrow leaves the field, but there’s enough experience under center to help the team get downfield.
Former Chiefs safety Bryan Cook won’t be suiting up on Thursday, but Bengals fans will be excited to see newly acquired DT Dexter Lawrence II play, who is set to add real bite to a defensive line in desperate need.
He’s earned buzz at training camp and the three-time Pro Bowler will be ready to play, albeit on a limited snap count.
Lions vs Bengals Prediction, Betting Analysis
Ordinarily, I’d be steering away from backing a Zac Taylor team in preseason — he’s 1-5 in the opening week — but this year it feels different. The Bengals simply cannot start this year slow and Taylor seems prepared to let his starters see minutes.
Football often comes down to the quarterbacks, and in preseason that rule applies even more. With no Goff and Dobbs barely settled with his new team, it means we’re going to see an UDFA have the bulk of the Lions' snaps under center, with an offense made up of rookies and career backups.
It could be bad news for Altmyer, who will have to see Lawrence and Jonathan Allen here — both could cause chaos against the interior of his offensive line.
On the Bengals side, we know we’re going to get at least a little bit of Burrow, alongside his offensive starters. You’d expect them to be able to build up a healthy lead, and then it becomes about the backups, and there is a QB corps that has played 261 regular-season games in the NFL, with 201 being starts.
That should count for something here and the Bengals would be confident of winning and covering this spread, even if it is quite large for a preseason game.
Pick: Bengals -6.5
