Raiders-Bengals preview: Team wants ‘momentum and confidence’ before bye
The Raiders (2-6) have one last game before their bye week to find something to build on for the second half of the season.
They’ll try to get themselves going at the site of their last postseason game, Cincinnati. The Bengals (3-5) have fallen short of expectations this year, but remain a talented team.
Game information
■ Who: Raiders at Bengals
■ When: 10 a.m. Sunday
■ Where: Paycor Stadium
■ TV: Fox (Kevin Kugler, play-by-play; Daryl Johnston, analyst)
■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3) (Jason Horowitz, play-by-play; Lincoln Kennedy, analyst)
■ Line: Bengals -7, total 45
Series history
The Raiders have dropped five of their last six meetings with the Bengals, including two straight. They still hold a 21-13 edge in this AFC rivalry that dates back to 1968.
Three of the meetings between the two teams have come in the postseason. The Raiders hold a 2-1 edge in those matchups.
Last meeting
Jan. 15, 2022 — The Bengals earned their first playoff victory in 31 years when linebacker Germaine Pratt intercepted quarterback Derek Carr at the goal line to give his team a 26-19 victory over the Raiders in Cincinnati.
The Bengals, aided by a controversial touchdown that came after an erroneous whistle, scored on all four of their first-half possessions to advance to the divisional round.
Carr threw for 310 yards, but the Raiders scored just one touchdown. Kicker Daniel Carlson made four field goals in Rich Bisaccia’s last game as the team’s interim coach.
Bold predictions
1. Wide receiver Tre Tucker, a University of Cincinnati alum, will score a touchdown in front of what is expected to be a large cheering section.
2. The Raiders will have a successful 2-point conversion attempt.
3. Bengals running back Chase Brown will record his first 100-yard rushing game of the season.
Storyline
The Raiders need a victory.
Or at least need something positive to build on before a bye week that coach Antonio Pierce said is coming at a “perfect time.”
The Raiders are dealing with a bunch of nagging injuries that could use time to heal. They have also been reeling on the field with four straight losses.
“We need to get healthy,” Pierce said. “We need a reset. We need to self-scout. We need to look at ourselves and what can we fix going into the last eight weeks.
“It would mean momentum and confidence. You don’t want to have a loss to then sit for two weeks, especially a fifth in a row. You don’t want that to linger.”
Cincinnati probably isn’t an ideal opponent for this situation. The Bengals entered the season with championship aspirations, but have sputtered through the first half and are looking for a game to get right. This could be the one for them.
When the Raiders have the ball
Quarterback Gardner Minshew played one of his best games of the season last week, though some of his persistent problems reappeared down the stretch.
Minshew took care of the ball for the most part, but a fourth-quarter fumble helped dash the Raiders’ hopes of pulling an upset over the undefeated Chiefs.
The team’s red zone struggles also continued. The Raiders started a drive at the Kansas City 3-yard line and failed to score when Minshew was sacked on fourth down.
The team’s running game remains a problem as well. But the Raiders aren’t giving up.
“We have to stay consistent and focus on details,” Pierce said. “We’re not doing a lot in the running game, but at the end of the day you have to block the guy in front of you. And the backs have to hit the hole and sometimes run through contact or make a guy miss. So a lot goes into it. And more than anything else, it’s like if you go to a basketball court and start taking shots. You’re not going to make every one, but you have to keep shooting your shot. We need to keep taking our shots.”
When the Bengals have the ball
The Raiders will likely get a bit of a break Sunday. Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is doubtful with a quadriceps injury.
That may mean even more targets for star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
“He’s one of the best in the league,” Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “If you want to argue he is the best, I don’t have a real good, strong rebuttal for that, between him, (Justin) Jefferson and some of the other guys.”
Chase’s quarterback isn’t too bad, either.
Joe Burrow led the Bengals to Super Bowl 56 in 2022 and continues to make winning plays week in and week out. Cincinnati’s offense ranks seventh in passing yards per game (235.5) and is tied for 10th in points per game (24.4).
The Bengals, like the Raiders, have struggled to run the ball. They rank 28th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (89.8). The Raiders are 31st (79.0).
Injury report
■ Raiders: OUT: C Andre James (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: RG Dylan Parham (foot), LB Robert Spillane (knee), RB Zamir White (quadriceps). FULL: TE Brock Bowers (rib), TE Harrison Bryant (elbow), CB Jack Jones (knee), WR Jakobi Meyers (ankle), LT Kolton Miller (elbow), S Tre’von Moehrig (hamstring). DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DE Maxx Crosby (ankle).
■ Bengals: DOUBTFUL: LT Orlando Brown Jr. (knee/fibula), WR Tee Higgins (quadriceps), HB Zack Moss (neck). QUESTIONABLE: WR Charlie Jones (groin), S Geno Stone (shin). FULL: QB Joe Burrow (right wrist), DT Kris Jenkins Jr. (thumb), LDE Sam Hubbard (hamstring), RT Amarius Mims (ankle).
The pick
Bengals 27, Raiders 16
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.