![]() Which team will move on to the divisional round? And which team’s Super Bowl 56 hopes will come crashing down at the first hurdle? Feel free to scroll to the end for our Raiders-Bengals prediction if you are so inclined but stay to find out more about the matchup in Cincinnati and what will decide the game. But 13 teams will be left heartbroken on the road to crowning a Super Bowl champion. It is unfortunate that the Raiders-Bengals matchup will mark the end of a successful season for one of these teams. But the Bengals won three in a row to lock up the AFC North, and the Raiders won four straight games to secure the fifth seed in the AFC. With four weeks to go, things could have easily panned out differently for both teams. In their Super Wild Card Weekend matchup, they will host the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bengals were expected to finish last in the AFC North but won their first division title since 2015. Raiders vs.The NFL playoffs kick off with two of the season’s surprise successes facing off in Cincinnati. When they’ve struggled, it’s largely been self-inflicted wounds like poor execution or bad game-planning or management from coaches.Ībsent any silly mistakes, the Bengals should pop an early lead and sit on it with a strong ground game before thinking about a divisional-round opponent. They’ve bested some of the NFL’s best like Kansas City and played Green Bay within an overtime field goal. Like most of the year, the biggest threat to the Bengals on Saturday is beating themselves. One could argue they’ve got big momentum now, but the reality is they’re turning around after that to travel cross-country on a very short week to play in freezing temperatures against a team that already beat them. While the Bengals rested starters in Week 18, the Raiders were playing five full quarters of football just to qualify for this game. This Raiders defense couldn’t stop Mixon on the ground last time out - they’re probably not doing it in 22-degree weather. He’s facing exploitable corners who won’t be able to stop Ja’Marr Chase. Burrow’s the better quarterback in the matchup. It’s really those factors that swing this game in Cincinnati’s favor. Over his last two games, Burrow threw for 525 and 446 yards. And Taylor has evolved the offense since the last meeting, implementing more misdirection and unpredictable looks. On a positive note, Burrow’s even more mobile than he was in Week 11 as he’s steadily gotten that back all season on his repaired knee. The Bengals won’t have right tackle Riley Reiff this time to stop Crosby, so key schematic approaches from Zac Taylor and coaches could outright decide the game. What’s changed since Week 11 is even more notable. They still have one of the most dangerous pass-rushes in the league too headed up by Maxx Crosby, owner of eight sacks and four pressures - and he had his best game of the year against this Bengals team in Week 11. The Raiders still struggle defensively (25.8 points per game allowed, seventh in the league and 114.3 rushing yards per game allowed). That final score is a bit of a lie though - Joe Burrow only threw for 148 yards and the score was only 16-13 a few minutes into the fourth quarter.īut plenty remains true from now to then. The Bengals won in Las Vegas back in Week 11, a 32-13 victory that featured 123 yards and a score from Joe Mixon. We do have a prior meeting to draw from when previewing the game. This, while overcoming more drama than any other team in the league, be it Jon Gruden’s firing, the Henry Ruggs tragedy and so much more. They’ve won 10 games and secured a playoff berth in the final seconds of overtime in Week 18. The Raiders are a pretty amazing story too, of course. ![]()
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