The Cincinnati Bengals have a daunting NFC North matchup for the second consecutive week, with this Sunday pitting them against the formidable Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Joe Flacco takes over at quarterback, as the team is trying to find any kind of offensive rhythm to get back on track after a 2-0 start.
We tapped the knowledge of Justis Mosqueda over at SB Nation’s Packers site, Acme Packing Co. this week, to get a peek behind the fence to get his take on all things Green Bay heading into
Week 6. Here are five burning questions from the Cincinnati side to get a feel for things heading into Sunday.
1.) AC: Since Joe Flacco is starting with the Bengals this Sunday, what did you see from him out of the Packers’ loss to the Browns under his watch a couple of weeks ago? The stat line wasn’t impressive, but Cleveland did get the very unexpected win.
JM: Well, Flacco threw 36 balls against the Packers and only completed three beyond like seven yards downfield, so we didn’t get a great look at how Flacco could push the ball deep. For the most part, he just checked the ball down in that game.
I will say, though, 1) you guys have much better pass-catching options at wide receiver than the Browns did (duh) and 2) his interception against Green Bay was a deep shot on fourth down where the Packers actually would have been better off dropping the ball, so I wouldn’t hold that against him. For the most part, he just protected the football and took checkdowns the first time around.
2.) AC: What’s going on with Josh Jacobs? He had an OUTSTANDING 2024 campaign, but his current yards per carry is over one yard less per carry this year…
JM: Buddy, let me tell you about this offensive line. Most of Jacobs’ yards have come after contact this year, which is pretty amazing. So far, the Packers have used 10 offensive line looks in 2025 – more than they used in all of 2024 combined and more than any other team in the league so far in 2025.
We have three linemen on the IR or PUP right now. On top of that, backup tackle Anthony Belton is already ruled out versus Cincinnati. ON TOP OF THAT, starting left guard Aaron Banks, starting right tackle Zach Tom and starting left tackle Rasheed Walker are all listed as questionable for this game. Banks and Tom have yet to finish a full game in the 2025 season.
The short and sweet: We’re in the year from hell when it comes to early offensive line injuries. Jacobs can still play. He’s just having to earn every yard by himself at this point.
3.) AC: Jordan Love looks like he’s playing very well this year (eight touchdowns vs one interception). He was already a top-level quarterback coming into this year, but might he be taking yet another step in his development in 2025?
JM: He’s been good at connecting on deep shots this year. There’s still a couple of weird mistakes that he’s made, like the late interception against the Browns and how he handled the clock at the end of the Cowboys game, but his accuracy has been really good. Green Bay is never going to be a team that wants to throw for 300 yards going into a game. Even on second and longs, head coach Matt LaFleur is regularly calling run plays. But when he’s asked to make a play, Love has done well this year.
4.) AC: Aside from that blip loss to Cleveland, Green Bay looks like one of the front-runners for a deep postseason run this year. Does this team have any glaring weaknesses? They appear to be pretty well-rounded.
JM: The biggest worry for me is the depth on the defensive line. With starter Devonte Wyatt out, their only backups on the roster for this game are going to be undrafted rookie nose tackle Nazir Stackhouse, who earned a 20 grade from Pro Football Focus against the Dallas Cowboys, and rookie draft pick Warren Brinson, who has been inactive for every game up to this point.
Dallas was the first team that committed to the ground game enough, without letting the score get out of hand, to really wear out the line. By the end of that game, the line was absolutely exhausted. It’s why the Packers only allowed one drive of more than 15 yards in the first six drives of that game, but they finished allowing drives of 80, 77, 54 and 76 yards to end it.
5.) AC: FanDuel has the Bengals as 14.5-point road dogs this week. Do you think the Packers cover? Do you think Flacco can make some plays with the Bengals’ skill positions?
JM: The Packers take their foot off the brakes far too often, so I honestly don’t think the Bengals backdoor cover is a bad move. When LaFleur is up multiple scores, he tries to pop the football and go home. I could 100% see something like a 28-14 game where the Bengals score late and Green Bay just sits on an early lead.
Our thanks to Justis Mosqueda for the insight heading into this week’s big game. Be sure to head over to Acme Packing Co. to get the other side of our conversation, too.
