Bears vs. Bengals prediction, pick, odds for NFL preseason Week 2 game, Sat. 7/18

Chris Baker's Bears vs. Bengals Preview

Bengals Betting Preview: Cincinnati Is Down a Key QB

Joe Burrow led a touchdown drive last week against the Buccaneers, throwing for 51 yards on seven pass attempts and a passing touchdown. Zach Taylor has already come out and said he is planning on resting starters in this matchup, so we should expect to see lots of Logan Woodside and Rocky Lombardi.

Browning threw for just 52 yards on 18 pass attempts last week, but he proved himself to be competent during his seven regular-season starts last season. Missing him will be a big loss in the preseason.

Woodside should have decent tools to work with between WR Charlie Jones, Trenton Irwin, and either Andrei Iosivas or rookie Jermaine Burton. He was excellent in the opener throwing for 149 yards on (8-of-12) pass attempts while posting the highest PFF passing grade of the Bengals QB trio.

The Bears had a great offseason and loaded up on their offense, but the defense wasn't improved much. Chicago's defensive depth isn’t particularly impressive, so Woodside could post some points.

Bears Betting Preview: Chicago's Depth Is Ideal for Preseason

The Bears are 2-0 so far, their offense has been a pleasant surprise as they’ve been able to score 54 points in about 6.5 quarters of play.

Caleb Williams was impressive in his debut throwing for 95 yards on just 4-of-7 pass attempts while also scrambling for a 13-yard rush. Both of his drives resulted in field goals, and then the Bears backups took over. The Bears dominated the Bills on the ground to the tune of 140 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Focusing on this matchup, I’d expect the Bears to mirror the Bengals and rest most of their starters here so we should see the combination of Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien, and Austin Reed at QB. Bagent and Rypien have shown they can perform somewhat reasonably at the NFL level, and we should expect solid play from the Bears offense when either is on the field.

The Bears offense has some of the better depth in the NFL with WRs Velus Jones, Tyler Scott, DeAndre Carter and Dante Pettis lining up outside. The RB room also looks solid with Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer.

Finally, expect the TE duo of Gerald Everett and Marcedes Lewis to be featured heavily here, as well. I don’t think it’s a fluke that we’ve seen this offense be so successful in the preseason as their depth chart features players with tons of NFL experience. I’d expect them to continue to be efficient here against a weaker Bengals pass defense.

How to Watch Bears vs. Bengals: Start Time, Channel, Location

Bears vs. Bengals will be broadcast on NFL Network and available to stream on NFL+. Bears-Bengals is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon at Soldier Field in Chicago.

My Bears vs. Bengals Prediction: Take the Over

I view both of these offenses favorably, with the key investments on both teams coming on that side of the ball, while the defenses are lacking depth. While I initially leaned toward the over, Browning missing the game creates uncertainty for the Bengals' full-game prospects. I'd probably bet the over if he and Woodside were going to play most of the game.

Instead, I'll bet on Chicago, which has solid QB depth and dominated the Bills last week.

Bears vs. Bengals Pick: Bears -6.5 (-110)