Game Time:  4:30 PM ET, Saturday, January 16th, 2022

Venue: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Where to Watch:  NBC, Peacock

 

FanDuel: point spread: Bengals -5.5; O/U 49

DraftKings: Bengals -5; O/U 49.5

BetMGM: Bengals -5.5; O/U 49

Caesars: Bengals -5.5; O/U 49

 

Raiders: 10-7, 2nd place AFC West

Bengals: 10-7, 1st place AFC North

The Las Vegas Raiders shouldn’t be here!  No way!  The season the Raiders had with all the tumult of a very famous coach being publicly disgraced halfway through and forced out.  An interim coach taking over.  A young star wide receiver with the world at his feet and a great life nearly guaranteed, kills a woman and her dog while speeding and drunk driving and is done… no more great life, no more big money, no more freedom, and no more football.  A young star cornerback getting into some kind of altercation that contains the threat of violence through firearms… in a city that had one of the most infamous and devastating mass shootings ever at a country music concert just a few years ago…. He is waived and done.  The path was set for the Raiders to simply implode emotionally.  They were supposed to wilt away.  The media doesn’t even like their quarterback for Pete’s sake.  But they didn’t.  They dug in, they played hard and in the last game of the season they beat the Los Angeles Chargers, on the road, by a field goal in overtime, to get into the playoffs.  The win capped off a four-game winning streak that even allowed them to be in that position.  The Sportsbooks will show you the Raiders are underdogs in this one… but the 10-7 the Raiders have is just as many wins as the 10-7 the Bengals have. QB Derek Carr won’t just be playing a playoff game… he’ll be fighting for his reputation, which despite his 4,804 passing yards this season he isn't very well respected… not to mention he has done it with a collection of no-name wide receivers. Guys you couldn’t pick out of a line-up like Zay Jones, Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller…. And still almost 5000 yards.

The Cincinnati Bengals have the best young quarterback in the NFL.  Joe Burrow put up great rookie numbers last year before getting hurt.  He missed games, he rehabbed and he came back this season to put up better numbers.  No rust, no fear.  Joe Burrow makes Cincinnati a sexy pick in this game… but wait.  It’s still the Bengals.  Let’s not forget the Bengals were just as empty a franchise as their Ohio counterparts the Cleveland Browns before Burrow arrived.  Before Burrow and Mayfield the entire state of Ohio was two easy wins and a chuckle for AFC teams. The Bengals started the season strong, then receded, then had to finish out with their own 4-game winning streak… an impressive streak too.  The Bengals beat the Denver Broncos, the Baltimore Ravens, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Cleveland Browns to finish it out and take the AFC North title.  Those 4 wins were also 4-0 ATS.  The streak got to see a 525 yard passing game for Burrow.  Helping the quarterback along was RB Joe Mixon 1,205 yards on the season and WR Ja’Marr Chase 1,455 yards on the season.  In the final game against Cleveland the Bengals started backup QB Brandon Allen and still got the win… so maybe they aren’t so empty anymore.

Matt went 1-2 on Sunday and is on a 7-3 NFL run and he closes Week 16 with a BIG Winner! He is on a 24-16 NFL Run and going back, he is on a 34-21 NFL RAMPAGE! Fargo is a SWEET 21-12 with his Primetime Punishers while going 677-578 +$36,583 long-term!! Get Matt Fargo’s picks!!....  They are available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.

RECENT FORM

The Raiders are 10-7 on the season, but 8-9 ATS.  They have logged 8 Overs and 9 Unders. They are 5-3 on the road.

 

The Bengals are 10-7 on the road and 10-7 ATS.  They have notched 8 Overs and 9 Unders.  They are 5-4 in home games.

 

 

The Raiders are 18th in the league in scoring with 22.0 ppg and 11th in yards with 363.8 ypg. It breaks down to 6th in passing and 28th in rushing.  The weakness of the rushing game will allow the Bengals offensive line to key on Derrick Carr.

The Bengals are 7th in points with 27.1 points per game and 13th in yards with 361.5 yards per game.  That breaks down to 7th in passing and 23rd in rushing. The same strength and the same weakness as the Raiders.

The Raiders are 14th in the league on defense allowing 337.2 ypg, but 26th in defending points.  The Raiders allow opponents to put up 25.8 ppg on them… leaving a very thin margin for success.

The Bengals are 18th on defense while allowing opponents 350.8 ypg, and 17th in defending points while holding opponents to 22.1 ppg.

Our prediction for Saturday, January 15th is… Bengals 28 - Raiders 27

This is a prediction for the Raiders ATS.  We have to face the facts that the Bengals have not won a playoff game in 31 YEARS.  The element of drama is already set.. The chance at dropping the game entirely is there.  The Bengals are not a safe bet to get the win so taking 5 - 5.5 pts off your book is a gift.  If it comes down to a field goal ( a big part of Cincinnati playoff history) you can enjoy the outcome with the win in your pocket.

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NFL Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com.  Just click on Shop Picks for our Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to join for a week or a month.  And if you enjoyed this Raiders/Bengals preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.

 

 

The Raiders are 5-1 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points.

The Bengals are 8-4 ATS against conference opponents this season.

The Bengals are 6-2 ATS when playing a team with a winning record.

 

Raiders: Every key player listed as Questionable will play.

Bengals: Every key player listed as Questionable will play.

Raiders: QB Derek Carr, RB Josh Jacobs, WR Zay Jones, WR Darren Waller, WR Bryan Edwards, TE Foster Moreau, LT Kolton Miller, LG John Simpson, C Andre James, RG Alex Leatherwood, RT Brandon Parker

Bengals: QB Joe Burrow, HB Chris Evans, WR Ja’Marr Chase, WR Stanley Morgan Jr, WR Mitchell Wilcox, TE Drew Sample, LT D’Ante Smith, LG Jackson Carman, C Trey Hill, RG Hakeem Adeniji, RT Isaiah Prince

Raiders

Touchdowns: Josh Jacobs 9

Rushing Yards: Josh Jacobs 872

Passing Yards: Derek Carr 4,804

Receiving Yards: Hunter Renfrow 1,038

Sacks: Yannick Ngakoue 10

Interceptions: Casey Hayward Jr 1

Bengals

Touchdowns: Joe Mixon 13

Rushing Yards: Joe Mixon 1,205

Passing Yards: Joe Burrow 4,611

Receiving Yards: Ja’Marr Chase 1,455

Sacks: Trey Henderson 14

Interceptions: Logan Wilson 4

 

Mostly sunny and cold.  40*.  6 mph wind.