It’s a must-win for the Bengals if they want to keep any shot at the playoffs alive.
The Cincinnati Bengals, sitting at 3-5, are officially in desperation mode. The rest of the team’s slow start, typical in the Zac Taylor era, has spread to the frame of this year’s season. Joe Burrow says the team needs to finish the last nine games with a 7-2 record to get into the playoffs, and they can’t afford to have one of those losses come to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders (2-6) have seemingly given up on the idea that the 2024 team can be salvaged, having traded their best offensive weapon, Davante Adams, to the Jets. That doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous, though. The Raiders gave the undefeated Chiefs everything they had in Week 8, and they’ll do the same in Cincinnati on Sunday.
Here are a few matchups to keep an eye on.
Amarius Mims and Cody Ford vs. Maxx Crosby and K’Lavon Chaisson
It’s looking like Orlando Brown Jr. will miss Sunday’s game, which leaves Ford to start opposite Mims. This will be one of the toughest tests for the year for the rookie offensive tackle. Crosby takes 70 percent of his snaps over the right tackle, and is leading his team in sacks with 6.5 on the season so far. On the opposite side is Snowden, who is on top of the depth chart, but he hasn’t been a very efficient rusher.
Charles Snowden is first on the depth chart opposite Crosby, but it was Chaisson who got the start in Week 8 against the Chiefs, and he played better, at least according to PFF, than Snowden has through the first half of the season. The former first-round pick out of LSU by the Jaguars hasn’t really caught on like his No. 20 overall draft position would suggest, but there is obviously talent there. Whether it’s Snowden or Chaisson, they’ll be going up against Ford, who has struggled when in for Brown.
Ford is going to need to step up, especially if Crosby moves to the left side, which I’m sure he’s likely to do, seeing Ford as the lame member of the herd. The Bengals also will likely need to keep someone in to help Ford out if things get out of hand.
Chase Brown with a full load vs. Raiders defensive front
Zack Moss is likely out on Sunday with a surprise neck injury that popped up on Friday, and Brown is slotted for a full load. Things have been evening out as the season went on. In Week 8, Moss took 30 offensive snaps to Brown’s 28.
Brown could be looking at a snap count in the 40s. The Bengals still have Trayveon Williams, and they activated Kendall Milton off the practice squad, but I expect Brown to be treated like a bell-cow back against the Raiders, who are allowing 4.6 rushing yards per attempt. Brown is an explosive runner, and he doesn’t need much of a crease to get moving. If the Bengals can get Chase going early, they can take some of the pressure off Burrow’s shoulders and protect him from a talented pass rusher going against a banged-up line.
Andrei Iosivas and Jermaine Burton vs. Raiders secondary
Tee Higgins is likely out on Sunday for the second straight game, which means the opposing secondary will focus mostly on keeping Chase from beating them. Last week, it was Mike Gesicki who stepped up and acted as the team’s WR2 out of the slot, but having another reliable wide receiver on the outside would be ideal.
Iosivas got the nod as the team’s starting WR3 at the beginning of the year, but, outside of a handful of plays, hasn’t been able to consistently get open. Burton has shown he has all the physical skills needed to excel, but it seems as if he’s had trouble earning trust from his coaches and quarterbacks.
This is a big week for both wide receivers to prove to their coaches that they have what it takes to replace Higgins when he’s gone in 2025.
Bengals secondary vs. Brock Bowers
Bowers, a tight end, is second in the league in receptions, with an astounding 52 at the near halfway point of the season. The next tight end behind him is Trey McBride, and he’s a full 10 receptions behind. Tight ends average less than three receptions per game across the league, so it’s like Bowers has played at least three more games than everyone else.
The Bengals have been pretty good against tight ends this year, but Bowers isn’t a typical tight end. He’s one of Gardner Minshew’s favorite weapons and is usually on the receiving end of double-digit targets. In three of the four road games Bowers has played in this season, he’s had over 90 receiving yards. The Bengals don’t want to be the fourth.
Zac Taylor vs. Antonio Pierce and Marvin Lewis
Taylor may not be under Mike Brown’s microscope yet, but he’s under the fans’ for sure. The Bengals have struggled to put together any complete performances where their offense and defense plays well at the same time. Pierce isn’t playing with a full deck, but he and his assistant head coach, former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, will look to bridge the talent gap between these two teams with good coaching.
The Bengals cannot lose this game if they want to play football in January and February, and if they lose this game it will be because there was some sort of catastrophic injury or because Taylor was outcoached.
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What matchups will you be keeping an eye on?
