4 reasons Bengals will beat Raiders in playoff showdown
We’ve reached the home stretch on the road to the Cincinnati Bengals‘ first playoff game in six years as they host the Las Vegas Raiders Saturday, kicking off the NFL playoffs.
This should be one of the more interesting games of the weekend. Here are reasons why the Bengals will advance past the Raiders and into Divisional Weekend.
A healthy offense is a dangerous offense against Raiders young defense
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As the Bengals have shown over the last few weeks and in their Week 11 win over the Raiders in Vegas, when the Bengals are clicking on offense, there aren’t too many teams that can stop them. The Raiders have a pretty young secondary, including a rookie safety, but a very good one in Trevon Moehrig. But if the Bengals can keep their offense at a high level, as they have in recent weeks, the Bengals should move on to the final eight.
Joe Mixon against Raiders' bottom-half rushing defense
(AP Photo/David Becker)
Joe Mixon enjoyed a very fine season in 2021, playing in 16 games, rushing for over 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns a season after missing 10 games with an injury. On Saturday, he faces the league’s 19th-ranked rushing defense who has allowed about 115 rushing yards per game. Vegas also lost one of their better defensive tackles in Darius Philon, who suffered a torn patellar tendon against the Chargers and is done for the season. Vegas is going to have a tough time focusing on both Ja’Marr Chase and Mixon. Mixon could be in line for a good day in his first playoff game.
Some guy named Trey Hendrickson
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You may have heard of this guy. The Bengals’ big-money free-agent acquisition from the Saints this past offseason has paid off huge dividends in year one, registering at least a half-sack in all but three games this season, including one against the Raiders in Week 11. He has also recorded a tackle for a loss in ten games. The guy just gets after it. Vegas does have a good offensive line and Kolton Miller has improved tremendously since his rookie season. But you get the feeling that Hendrickson is going to come up with something big in this game that will shift the momentum in Cincinnati’s favor.
Home-field advantage
Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
While home-field advantage isn’t as strong as it once was, you can’t help but feel like Saturday is going to have some kind of feel to it. The Jungle is going to be rocking Saturday evening for the Bengals’ first playoff game in six years. And to also be favored in the game? Fans are going to be absolutely intense for this one. You talk about walking into the lion’s den, the Raiders are going to be walking into the Bengals’ den Saturday. Cincinnati should feed off of that support and that could very well be the push they need to advance to the Divisional Playoffs and a potential date with the No. 1 seeded Titans.
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