Intriguing Game– NFL, Week 11
Cincinnati Bengals at Las Vegas Raiders
Bengals: They were once the talk of the league. Remember that big win against the Baltimore Ravens? Believe it or not, they were in first place in the AFC North at one time. Their last two losses weren’t good ones. The first was in East Rutherford, New Jersey to the Jets of all teams. They completely dropped the ball and still celebrated the big win over the Ravens the previous week. I can’t stress it enough, it’s fine to celebrate a win. But you can’t just show up against any team because you have a better record than they do and that’s exactly what happened. Against the Cleveland Browns, they just didn’t show up. It was a terrible all-around performance. The Bengals went from 5-2 and first place in the AFC North to sitting back and forth between third and fourth place. Also remember, this is a young team, and any piece of success they get, they don’t know how to handle it because they’ve struggled for so many years. The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Bengals. On Sunday, they will make their way to Las Vegas for a showdown with the Raiders.
Raiders: The AFC West has been a rotating carousel, to say the least. The Denver Broncos got off to their fast start, now look at them. The Los Angeles Chargers were hot at one time, they’ve come back down to reality. Then, the Kansas City Chiefs have begun to turn the page as winners of their last three. Now, let’s talk about the team that plays in Vegas. Sunday night was their worst performance of the year. From a defensive standpoint, they “pressed” a little too hard and I can explain. I noticed the Raiders were trying to blitz a ton and you can’t do that when playing Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City took advantage of plenty of mismatches and could never get themselves going on either side of the football. There was one thing I noticed about their offense that had me questioning them. Why didn’t they get Darren Waller involved more? He was targeted only seven times. That won’t cut it. He’s your best playmaker and creates the biggest mismatches against any safety or cornerback trying to defend him. The only way to defend him is if you double him. Earlier in the year, I kept saying their defense was much improved. I’m not seeing that as of late. They miss too many gap assignments, miss tackles in the open field and the pass rush is inconsistent. They will look to bounce back on Sunday in week 11.
Bengals X-Factor: C.J. Uzomah– This is another weapon for Burrow. C.J. is the guy that Joe checks the football too when he needs to get the ball out of his hands. The crazy thing is he doesn’t command a lot of attention because of all the coverage that defenses apply to Chase and Tyler Boyd. In the red zone, he can slip past defenders and be wide open for the score.
Raiders X-Factor: Hunter Renfrow– I remember him from his days at Clemson and him scoring the game-winning touchdown to clinch a natty for the Tigers a few years back. Now, he’s the closest thing I’ve seen to Wes Welker. Hunter is that shifty receiver you can line up inside and sometimes out and he’s pushing forward up the field. He always finds a way to find a soft spot in the zone scheme.
Final Thoughts: Both teams are looking to bounce back this Sunday. The Raiders just looked flat out awful on Sunday night. The last time we saw the Bengals, they were embarrassed at the hands of the Cleveland Browns. The Bengals must get Joe Mixon going. Stop putting so much pressure on Burrow. Remember, he’s only a second-year quarterback. What Raiders offense is going to show up? The offensive attack that was pushing the ball up the field consistently? Or will we see the unit that gets into the red zone and forgets how to score? Also, I still don’t trust this Las Vegas defense.
Prediction: Bengals 29, Raiders 23
