Get ready for Sunday Night Football! Explore the latest odds and expert picks for the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Chargers matchup. Don't miss out!
The playoff picture in the AFC is pretty cut and dry although there are eight weeks left in the regular season. Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, and the Los Angeles Chargers are all very likely to make the postseason. That leaves one remaining playoff spot in the conference for 10 teams to fight over. Denver is the only other team that is .500 or better, but most pundits like the Cincinnati Bengals to get the final spot. Cincinnati has been very unlucky this season with a 4-6 record through 10 weeks, but the Bengals will have their schedule get a lot easier following their showdown with the Chargers on Sunday Night Football.
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Week 11 Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Chargers
Cincinnati Bengals +1Los Angeles Chargers -1Total 47.5
Initially, the Los Angeles Chargers were favored by two points per the opening football betting odds. However, the betting public has moved the line down slightly, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bengals were actually the favorites by kickoff. There has been significant movement on the over too as this total has dropped from 47.5 to 45 points.
Cincinnati Bengals Overview
Joe Burrow is not at fault for Cincinnati’s troubles this season. Burrow is completing 68.7% of his passes for 2,672 yards (7.5 YPA) with 24 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He currently leads the league in passing yards, and he is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes. Burrow has thrown an interception on just 1.1% of his passes while posting the third-best QBR in the NFL.
Ja’Marr Chase leads the league in receiving yards and touchdowns, but he has been extremely boom or bust. Chase torched Baltimore (twice) and Washington, but the Bengals’ best receiver has just 39 receptions for 406 yards and three touchdowns in Cincinnati’s other seven games. Tight end Mike Gesicki has actually been the second-leading receiver given Tee Higgins’ injury woes, and he is questionable to suit up in this one, but no one else has stepped up to take the attention off Chase.
Cincinnati might be missing three starters on defense. B.J. Hill, Logan Wilson, and Trey Hendrickson all carry an injury designation and are listed as questionable, but the loss of the latter two would hurt the most. Wilson leads the Bengals in tackles, while Hendrickson is responsible for 11 of Cincinnati’s 17 ttal sacks this season.
Los Angeles Chargers Overview
Justin Herbert has been effective under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, but he isn’t throwing the ball nearly as much as we have seen in the past. The Chargers are averaging just 27 passes per game, and that’s the second fewest number of passes in the league. That has led to Herbert averaging just 209.9 YPG through the air with 11 touchdowns and an interception.
Second-round pick Ladd McConkey has been Herbert’s best option with 37 receptions for 492 yards and four touchdowns. Last year’s first-round pick Quentin Johnston is turning a corner after a disastrous rookie season that led to rumors that he might be waived, and Joshua Palmer has been an occasional deep threat.
Harbaugh and the Chargers want to keep the ball on the ground. J.K. Dobbins has run for 670 yards and six touchdowns and is averaging 4.8 YPC. The tackle tandem of Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt has been great, so that’s something that will flummox a Cincinnati defense that struggles to get pressure outside of Trey Hendrickson.
The Chargers lead the league in scoring defense (13.1 PPG), but they have been very fortunate and have only faced a couple elite quarterbacks. LA has been able to create pressure at the line of scrimmage with 31 sacks and 42 tackles for loss. This defense has not been able to get much out of Joey Bosa though as the four-time Pro Bowl pick has just three sacks in six games.
Sunday Night Football Prediction
Expect this game to be a shootout. Cincinnati is going to move the ball more than most teams against the LA defense, and Herbert will put up some nice numbers too.
Final Score: Cincinnati 34, Los Angeles 30
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