The Cincinnati Bengals entered the season as contenders for the AFC title. Instead, they are fighting for their playoff life in 10 games – and face a must-win situation Los Angeles Chargers. The two teams will face off in Week 11 on “Sunday Night Football,” with both teams having something to prove as their seasons are heading in opposite directions.
The Chargers (6-3) are 6-0 against teams that are currently .500 or better, which is why they are right in the middle of the AFC playoff picture. The Bengals (4-6), meanwhile, have yet to beat a team currently hitting .500 or better (4-1 against teams under .500).
If the Bengals want to make the playoffs in the AFC, this matchup against the Chargers is crucial. The Chargers can put the Bengals in a hole that will be difficult for them to get out of in terms of the AFC playoff race, while also solidifying their own playoff situation.
Here's how to watch the Sunday Night Football showdown, along with a quick preview:
Where to watch Bengals vs. Chargers
- Date: Sunday, November 17th | Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- Location: SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, California
- TV: NBC — Live stream: fuboTV (Try it for free)
- Consequences: CBS Sports App
- Opportunities: Chargers -1.5, OU 48 (via BetMGM)
Check out the latest BetMGM promo code to come into play.
Joe Burrow vs. Chargers defense
The Chargers defense is the best in the world as the 13.1 points per game allowed is the fewest a team has allowed in a season since 2006 Baltimore Ravens. Only one team has even scored 20 points against the Chargers this season, and that's it Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 (they scored exactly 20 points). The Chargers have allowed just 11.7 points per game over their last three games, and their 1.18 points allowed per possession is first in the league.
Burrow will be one of the toughest tests for the No. 1 scoring defense. As bad as the Bengals have played, Burrow is not. He is the one He is the leader in completions (246) and passing yards (2,672) this season entering Week 11 and has scored nine passing touchdowns in his last two games. The Bengals have averaged 37.5 points per game during that span but are just 1-1 despite Burrow playing well.
Yes'Marr Chase is the NFL's all-time leader in receptions (66), receiving yards (981) and receiving touchdowns (10) this season – and has a 264-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Baltimore Ravens. The Burrow-Chase combination was the most dynamic quarterback–wide receiver duo in the NFL this season. They will be a good test for the Chargers – who are the first team to do so since 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars allowing fewer than 21 points and fewer than 375 total yards in each of his first nine games.
forecast
Not only did the Chargers play defense, but that's what their success boils down to Justin Herbert in the last few weeks. Herbert has a career-high 103.2 passer rating this season with 11 touchdowns and just one interception – the second-highest TD/INT ratio in the NFL (11.0) behind him Lamar Jackson (12.0). Since the bye week, Herbert has the fifth-highest explosive pass rate (percentage of completions over 20 yards) and the third-lowest miss rate (6.0%) during that span.
Herbert against the 23rd-ranked passing defense (347.5 yards per game) and the 26th-ranked defense in points per possession allowed (2.33) just seems like a mismatch. The Bengals need Burrow and the offense to step them up significantly this week to have a chance at what they can do on any given week.
Score: Chargers 28, Bengals 22
Bonus: SportsLine expert RJ White has an 18-6 record against the spread in Bengals games. We can tell you that it is trending towards the downside in terms of overall points, but Who does he have ATS??
