Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cincinnati Bengals Matchup Preview (1/15/22): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cincinnati Bengals Matchup Preview (1/15/22)

Super Wild Card Weekend has been set after an intense final week of football, resulting in upsets, eliminations, and breathtaking overtime games. The first wildcard game schedule is the rematch between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cincinnati Bengals. The two teams will faceoff at Paul Brown Stadium on Saturday, January 15th at 4:30 PM EST. The Raiders are coming into the playoffs after an exhausting overtime win against the Los Angeles Chargers that came down to the final seconds. They secured their place with the win but now face an opponent with a more stacked offense that can exploit weaknesses in the Raider defense. The Bengals took a loss to the Cleveland Browns last weekend, but it did not affect their playoff chances since they clinched their spot two weeks ago. This matchup should be full of excitement as Derek Carr takes on Joe Burrow for the second time in his career as both QBs try to advance their team to the second round.

Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cincinnati Bengals Betting Odds

As the first round of the 2022 playoffs commences, thousands of bets will begin to be cast. In the Raiders-Bengals match, all eyes seem to be on the Bengals. The Bengals defeated the Raiders earlier 32-13, which leaves many to believe this can be another runaway win for the Cincinnati team. When the two teams played in November, the Bengals hadn’t found the cohesive nature that they now possess and still were able to blow the Raiders out of the water. Now, the team has a more confident connection between Joe Burrow and rookie Ja’Marr Chase, leading to an unstoppable duo, making it even more difficult for the Raiders to defend. With the last matchup’s spread ending in a 19 point difference, I am surprised to see this game’s spread be only set to -6 (-110) for the Bengals and +6 (-110) for the Raiders. I think this is a blatant steal for the Bengals to cover. The Bengals have shown great improvement over the last few weeks of the regular season, and the Raiders have begun to look semi-stagnant with marginal wins. With a healthy and ready Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, and Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals can slide past the Raiders with high point values and coast to the second round of the 2022 NFL playoffs.

My Prediction: Bengals Win 31-23, Bengals Cover

TV Schedule

Date: Saturday, January 15th
Time: 4:30 PM EST
Location: Paul Brown Stadium – Cincinnati, OH
TV Coverage: ESPN/ABC/ESPN+

Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cincinnati Bengals Live Stream

Where can you watch Las Vegas Raiders vs Cincinnati Bengals 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 Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cincinnati Bengals Free Online Now.

Las Vegas Raiders Analysis

The Las Vegas Raiders had fans on the edge of their seats in their last regular-season game to decide who would be entering the 2022 NFL postseason. They were able to pull out a last-second 35-32 marginal win in overtime against the Los Angeles Chargers to send themselves and the Pittsburgh Steelers into the playoffs. In that game, the Raiders’ defense showed incredible discipline to force fourth-down conversion attempts and kept the Chargers at bay for as long as they could. In order to take on the AFC North division winners, the defense will have to be even stronger to prevent significant gains off of the stacked Bengals’ offense. 

Throughout the season, Derek Carr has made his name a very prominent topic in the top league quarterback. Carr has managed to place himself in the top five quarterbacks for yardage without having the options of several trusted receivers after the ongoing ethical issues of the Raiders team. Carr has 4,804 passing yards this season, where he managed to acquire 215 of them against the Bengals in November. The Bengals’ defense has the third-worst passing completion rating in the league, leaving Carr with an opportunity to take advantage and throw the ball to his receivers downfield. As long as his receivers can make a bit of space from the defense, Carr can thread a ball between an army of defenders to secure completions for his team. 

Hunter Renfrow will be the top target on the Raiders’ offense in this matchup. After losing Henry Ruggs earlier in the season, Renfrow has become Derek Carr’s number one target and has not disappointed Raiders’ fans. In the regular season, Renfrow has 103 receptions for 1,038 yards. He averages 61 yards per game but fell significantly below that against the Bengals earlier in the season with only 30 yards in the last matchup. In the Wild Card game, I suspect Renfrow to have a much better game with an increase in targets, but he may still struggle to gain extra yardage with an increasingly aggressive Bengals’ secondary. Renfrow will need to be on his A-game to take on the AFC North champions to help his team advance to round 2.

Las Vegas Raiders Depth Chart

QB: Derek Carr
RB1: Josh Jacobs
RB2: Peyton Barber
WR1: Hunter Renfrow
WR2: Zay Jones
WR3: Bryan Edwards
TE1: Darren Waller

Cincinnati Bengals Analysis

The Cincinnati Bengals have taken the NFL by storm this 2021 season, making the playoffs for the first time since 2015. They haven’t won a playoff game since their 1990 season, but there is great speculation that this team can make it to the AFC Championship game. The Bengals have already defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 32-13, so they may still feel confident going into this matchup even after a 21-16 loss to the Cleveland Browns last week. The team will need to have a healthy Joe Burrow to have a chance, so they’ll be keeping a close eye on his knee before the Saturday kickoff. 

Joe Burrow is only in his second year in the NFL, but he has already established himself as a franchise QB for the Cincinnati team. Burrow has led his team to a 10-6 record when he starts and acquired 4,611 yards in his games. He ranks 6th in the league for passing yards and in the top 10 for a QBR with a score of 54.4. He averages 288.2 yards per game but only put up 148 yards when he last played the Raiders. However, in his last two games, his average skyrocketed to 485 yards, showing his insane improvement over the course of the season. Burrow can utilize his pass and rush offense on the mid-tier Raiders’ defense which will leave his plays unpredictable and lead to shocking plays and an exhilarating performance. He will be taking full advantage of the powerful duo of Joe Mixon and Ja’Marr Chase to keep the defense on their toes and keep them guessing throughout the entire game.

Ja’Marr Chase has broken records and has placed himself in the running for offensive rookie of the year with his explosive plays and unmatched speed. In his first year, he shattered the Bengals’ all-time receiving yards record and the NFL rookie receiving yards record with 1,455 yards. He ranks fourth in the NFL for receiving yards this season and will continue to add to his stats going into this game. He averaged 85.5 yards per game on the entire season but improved his stat to 195.5 yards per game in his last two full games. The Raiders’ defense will have their hands full trying to guard the rookie and will struggle to prevent Chase from taking the ball to the endzone and increasing his stats. The handoff to Joe Mixon (1,205 yards this season) will keep the defense guarding the line, opening the backfield for Chase to take full advantage.

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 vs. Cincinnati Bengals Daily Fantasy Picks

This matchup will be the battle of quarterbacks and receivers. Both QBs are in the top 10 in the league and have massive yardage totals, and top receivers have over 1,000 yards, making them fierce competitors. However, I think the duo between Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase trumps the connection between Derek Carr and Hunter Renfrow. Burrow and Chase have made 81 connections throughout the season, while Carr and Renfrow have 103. In the lens of fantasy and betting, the obvious winner should go to the Bengals duo. In any scenario, it’s hard to avoid placing the bet on the rookie Chase. In this game it seems too clear to put your faith in the AFC North champs and leave the Raiders in the back of mind.