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Green Bay Packers (1-1) +4 1/2, o/u 40 1/2 at Cincinnati Bengals (2-0), 8 p.m. Eastern Monday, ESPN
by Marasoft.com Staff

Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer makes his return to the field after suffering a horrible knee injury in last season’s playoffs when the Bengals host the Green Bay Packers in an NFL exhibition game Monday night.

Palmer, as we remember, had his knee re-arranged in that Cincy home playoff loss to Pittsburgh last January. Since then, his return has been a big question mark surrounding this Bengals team. But Palmer and head coach Marvin Lewis seem to think he’s ready to take his first steps back, so he’ll see some field action Monday night. How much he’ll play, though, is up in the air.

Green Bay QB Brett Favre had a pretty good game last weekend vs. Atlanta, leading the Packers on a couple of solid scoring drives in a 38-10 G B win. The Packers ran for 126 yards vs. the Falcons defense, but it was an interception return for a touchdown and a fluke 85-yard scoring pass that made the final score look a bit more impressive that it should have.

Favre is expected to play into the third quarter Monday night. Then new head coach Mike McCarthy will likely give playing time to the heir apparent, Aaron Rodgers, who’s 12 of 17 for 235 yards so far this pre-season. But 85 of those yards came on that one play against Atlanta.

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Palmer’s back-ups have been solid in his absence thus far. Doug Johnson has completed 19 of 28 pass attempts for 261 yards and two scores, while Anthony Wright is 18 of 35 for 200 yards and another two TDs.

In their two exhibition games so far, Green Bay is averaging 85 rushing yards, while the defense is giving up 97 yards on the ground.

Cincy is averaging 99 rushing yards in its two pre-season wins (and covers) so far, while the defense, which has still got to be considered iffy as the regular season approaches, is allowing 92 ground yards per game.

The Bengals beat Washington 19-3 in their pre-season opener, then outscored Buffalo 44-31 last weekend. The Cincy defense gave up 154 rushing yards to Buffalo, but 61 of those came on one Willis McGahee run. The Bengals also had two defensive return TDs.

The Packers and the Bengals hooked up for a Week 8 regular-season game last year, with Cincinnati holding off a shorthanded GB team 21-14 as nine-point favorites. Green Bay actually outgained the Bengals by a 364-317 margin, but Favre threw five (yes, 5) interceptions. The Packers played that game without RB Ahman Green and WRs Javon Walker and Robert Ferguson. The game stayed well under the posted total of 46.

Green had suffered a serious thigh injury the week before that game, and hasn’t played since. But he also is expected to return to the field Monday night.

Cincinnati is 7-7 both straight up and against the spread in four pre-seasons under Lewis.

The Bengals opened up as 3 1/2-point favorites for Monday’s game, with a total of 37. But bettors wagered Cincy up to 5 1/2-point chalk. That number has since been bet down to 4 ½. The total got bet all the way up to 42, but that number has also dropped, down to 40 ½.