Cincinnati Bengals vs. Las Vegas Raiders Matchup Preview (11/21/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Las Vegas Raiders Matchup Preview (11/21/21)

The AFC playoff picture is wide open at the moment, and while neither of these teams is in first place in their respective divisions, they both still have a chance to get there by the end of the season. This game has massive playoff implications for both teams, and they will be treating it like a playoff game this week. After suffering blowout losses at the hands of division rivals in their last games, the Bengals and Raiders will be desperate to get back in the win column here.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Las Vegas Raiders Betting Odds

The Trends

• Bengals are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a double-digit home loss
• Raiders are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog
• Bengals are 4-0 ATS in these teams’ last 4 meetings
• Under is 7-3 in the Bengals’ last 10 games as a road favorite
• Over is 11-0-1 in the Raiders’ last 12 games as a home underdog

The Pick

This is one of the games I’m most looking forward to, as we’ll see two talented teams face off with incredibly high stakes. However, the Bengals will be rejuvenated after their bye week, while the Raiders are struggling through some burdensome circumstances. The incidents with Jon Gruden, Henry Ruggs III, and Damon Arnette have left the team scrambling, and they seemed off mentally on Sunday night against the Chiefs. Cincinnati should get back on track this week, and they are arguably the better team on both sides. Coming off their bye week, I’m taking them to get the road win.

My predictions: Bengals win 27-24, Bengals cover, over 49.5 points

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, November 21
Time: 4:05 PM ET
Location: Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV
TV Coverage: CBS

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Las Vegas Raiders Live Stream

Where can you watch Bengals vs. Raiders online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Bengals vs. Raiders Free Online Now.

Injuries

Cincinnati Bengals: C Trey Hopkins (knee) Q, LB Akeem Davis-Gaither (foot) IR, CB Trae Waynes (hamstring) IR, OG Xavier Su’a-Filo (knee) IR

Las Vegas Raiders: RB Josh Jacobs (knee) Q, LB Nick Kwiatkoski (ankle) Q, CB Amik Robertson (hip) Q, OG Richie Incognito (calf) IR, CB Trayvon Mullen (toe) IR

Cincinnati Bengals Analysis

This season, Joe Burrow deserves a ton of credit for his improved play, especially after the gruesome leg injuries that ended his rookie year. Burrow ranks second in the NFL behind only Kyler Murray with 8.7 yards per pass attempt and has thrown for 20 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. The arrival of rookie phenom Ja’Marr Chase in the offense has helped Burrow immensely, and Chase is on pace for one of the best rookie seasons of all time. Chase’s current 17-game pace is 82 catches for 1,575 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he has been excellent from the get-go this year. Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and C.J. Uzomah haven’t been nearly as productive as Chase, but they provide a solid pass-catching group for this team. Joe Mixon hasn’t run for over 100 yards since Week 1, but he has nine total touchdowns in nine games.

Cincinnati’s defense has also been much improved this season. After ranking 27th in defensive DVOA last year, the Bengals are ranked 20th this season. They have allowed just 22.6 points per game, the eleventh-fewest in football. The free agency addition of Chidobe Awuzie has reinforced a solid secondary along with Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell, a strong safety tandem. Meanwhile, Trey Hendrickson has partnered with Sam Hubbard to provide the team with a much-improved pass rush. Hendrickson has 8.5 sacks this season, and he should be able to overwhelm a Raiders’ offensive line that has been mediocre outside of Kolton Miller. However, this defense needs a big bounce-back game after allowing the Browns to score 41 points just before their bye week.

Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart

QB: Joe Burrow
RB1: Joe Mixon
RB2: Samaje Perine
WR1: Ja’Marr Chase
WR2: Tee Higgins
WR3: Tyler Boyd
TE1: C.J. Uzomah
TE2: Drew Sample

Las Vegas Raiders Analysis

If you’re looking at volume stats, Derek Carr has been excellent this year with 2,826 passing yards, the fourth-most in the NFL. However, he ranks outside the top 12 in passer rating, QBR, and seventh in passing EPA. The Raiders rank just 17th in passing DVOA per Football Outsiders. The loss of Henry Ruggs may not seem significant on the surface as he hadn’t been producing crazy numbers, but he was an essential piece of the offense as a constant threat to take the top off the opposing defense. Bryan Edwards stepped up last week with three catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, and he deserves to be more involved moving forward. Darren Waller’s best production since Week 1 was just seven catches for 92 yards, and that was his only game with over five receptions or 60 yards. Josh Jacobs has also been essentially a non-factor, and he only had seven carries for 16 yards last week.

The introduction of Gus Bradley as the new Raiders’ defensive coordinator has been excellent for the team, but their defense has faltered in recent weeks. Last week, the Raiders allowed Patrick Mahomes to throw for five touchdowns as the Chiefs scored more points in that game than they had in their previous three combined. Casey Hayward has helped the pass defense immensely, and Yannick Ngakoue has been a welcome addition to a pass rush that has been much improved along with Maxx Crosby and Carl Nassib. The draft pick of Trevon Moherig has been one of the team’s best in recent years, as the rookie free safety has been perfect for Bradley’s system. However, a lack of consistency in the defense has held the team back in recent weeks.

Las Vegas Raiders Depth Chart

QB: Derek Carr
RB1: Josh Jacobs
RB2: Kenyan Drake
WR1: Hunter Renfrow
WR2: Bryan Edwards
WR3: DeSean Jackson
TE1: Darren Waller
TE2: Foster Moreau

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Las Vegas Raiders Daily Fantasy Picks

Neither of these defenses has established consistency this season, and both offenses have some high-flying pieces which can be very productive this week. Hunter Renfrow continues to be one of the best values at wide receiver, and he’s my favorite of the Raiders to target this week. Cincinnati has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs this year, but it’s hard to trust Josh Jacobs with his lack of production recently. The Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase stack should be back in play for the Bengals, and Tee Higgins is a decent value at his current pricing. I also don’t mind rolling with Joe Mixon in a decent matchup with a high over-under total.