SnoTap Packer Preview: Green Bay at Cincinnati

The hard thing with watching a team blow out another one early on in the season is managing expectations. Green Bay looked great last Sunday against Washington, but there is no true barometer on how good this team really is right now. They play their third straight game against a playoff team against Cincinnati in a tough road affair before the Packers have an early bye week. This game will test Green Bay's young offensive line along with A.J. Green's ability to have a monstrous game as well as the Packers handling another tough road environment. 

#Packers OT David Bakhtiari has graded out higher at @PFF than the two top-5 picks Eric Fisher (Chiefs) and Lane Johnson (Eagles) here.
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) September 20, 2013

Interesting stuff from Zach Krause from Bleacher Report on David Bakhtiari to begin the season. He is not facing the weaklings of the league either going up against the likes of Ryan Kerrigan and Aldon Smith. Bakhtiari has another tall task facing the Cincinnati defensive line. Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson are both beasts on the outside and will give Bakhtiari all he can handle on Sunday. Another thing to watch with the Packers offensive line in whole will be going up against a 4-3 defense. They have seen 3-4 for all of training camp and then faced two 3-4 systems in the first two weeks of the season. Who knows if it will have any bearing on the game, but it is a definite adjustment for the protection plan.  

This is also a big game for Josh Sitton. The former Packer All-Pro has not got off to a great start to the season with multiple holding calls plus his play really has not been to his level. Sitton will face the terror that is Geno Atkins at certain points of the game. Atkins will be handful for Sitton and if he is really the best Packer offensive lineman, this is the game to show it off when people are expecting the Bengals defensive line to reek havoc. I expect a steady mix of pass and running plays to not only protect Aaron Rodgers, but also keep this defensive line on their toes giving the Packers offensive line a slight advantage. 

A.J. Green is one of the best receivers in the game, and probably the best receiver the Packers have faced thus far in the young 2013 season. In the first two games, the Packers allowed Anquan Boldin and Pierre Garcon to go well over 100 yards and they are not to Green's caliber. Although the one thing the Packers have done a great job at shutting down is the vertical route which is Green's version of the Stone Cold Stunner.  Tramon Williams and Sam Shields really have made it a point that they are not getting beat with the home run play. The Packers philosophy right now especially with Morgan Burnett and Casey Hayward is 'Feel free to go underneath, but the vertical routes are not happening'. If the Bengals start throwing Green over the middle more, the Packers could be in big trouble. For this reason is why Tyler Eifert and Jermaine Gresham scare me more than Green with all the exposure both tight ends get in the middle of the field.  

Cincinnati has not been kind to the Packers. The Bengals have the last two wins against Green Bay and the last time the Pack won in Queen City, it was 1998. While this is all trivial, it should not be forgotten Cincinnati is a tough place to play when the city believes their team is worth a damn. It is very important the Packers come out with the same efficiency they did in the first two quarters of the Washington game. If they get the ball rolling, Cincinnati will not have the offense to keep up with the Packers. While people including me do not want to get excited about Washington, I feel like we forget they put 28 points against San Francisco, this team can score with the best of them. 

I feel like the Packers win this one with the continued good play of Aaron Rodgers, the offensive line will have a couple hiccups, but will man their stations just fine plus a solid defensive effort all-around. Cincinnati does not seem to be there just yet. I do not know if it is the quarterback or it is the wealth of young talent has not adapted to the NFL just yet, but they are not there. Green Bay 27 Cincinnati 21