We enter the middle of the season and there are two teams that are going through critical moments, hoping to get a victory that gives them a breath of fresh air or fall and the scenario is practically one of stopping thinking about the playoffs and starting to Get psyched for next year and the talent that may arrive through the Draft.
<a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/01/nfl-raiders-defeated-chargers-in-final-play-in-overtime/" title="NFL: Raiders defeated Chargers in final play in overtime”>Las Vegas Raiders (2-6) have their last road game before their bye week, visiting Cincinnati Bengals (3-5) at Paycor Stadium, a setting in which the Ohioans have not won a single victory and which could be a differentiating factor for the bad guys to put an end to their malaria.
Behind the rival
Los Bengals have gone from being one of the candidates in the American Conference, a strong candidate for the disappointment of 2024. They have an explosive offense, but the defense is what they have left to do along with the injuries suffered. Their crisis is such that they have not been able to win at home and have just lost their last game at home, with a 37-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagleswho scored 20 unanswered points in the second half.
Cincinnati has no choice but to look for that victory that will help them start a streak of success as they have done in the past. Since 2021, The AFC North franchise has shown success in the second half of the schedule with 18 wins in November, December and Januarythe third most in the American Conference, only behind the Kansas City Chiefs (23) and Buffalo Bills (18).
<img class="nd-media-detail-caption__img" alt="Joe Burrow is praised by Patrick Graham, Raiders coordinator (Reuters)” data-camus-image=”” data-camus-toolbar-image-position=”topleft” loading=”lazy” src=”https://images.milenio.com/vqtiy6-L20no_Tonn0xVbQwXHVs=/375×0/uploads/media/2024/10/31/joe-burrow-elogiado-patrick-graham.jpg” height=”212″ width=”375″ onerror=”this.onerror=null;this.src=’/bundles/appcamusassets/dist/images/logo-Milenio-2.jpg'”/>
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Los Raiders have history on their side, as these two teams have met 31 times since 1968, with 19 wins for the bad guys and 12 wins went to the Bengal teamwhich has just won the last match on November 21, 2021, with a 32-13 score.
Unbalanced teams
The Bengals are fortunate to have one of the most important players in the current NFL and who can make a difference. In his fifth year as a professional, Joe Burrow leads a dangerous air attack, with 1,993 yards (sixth place in the NFL), plus it ties third best touchdown record (15) and his 70.3 percent completion rate is the fourth best percentage of the current season.
But Cincinnati’s problems have been when it comes to establishing the running game, where they have the fifth worst offense in that area at average just 89.8 yards per game. They have resented the departure of Joe Mixon a Houston Texans y tanto Chase Brown (359 yards) and Zack Moss (242 yards) have fallen short to replace them.
The Raiders have also struggled to move the ball, occupying 28th in total offense (288.1 yards per game), the number 18 by air (209.1 yards per game), the penultimate by carries (79.0 yards per game) and the 26th as far as points are concerned (18.0). The defense has been the one that has been able to respond, but they have suffered with the inconsistency on the other side of the ball and it has caused a collapse in some numbers: although they are the eleventh best defense (319.0 yards allowed) and the seventh best against the pass (189.1 ), they rank nineteenth against the run (129.9) and have been the sixth in allowing the most points (26.3).
Beyond Burrow’s good performance, Cincinnati has struggled with its pace, as they are the 18th-ranked offense (325.3 yards per game) and 10th in points (24.4). This rank is due to the fact that they occupy the seventh position through the air (235.5), but their runners produce very little, to the point that their almost 90 yards have them as the fifth lowest figure. On defense, Cincinnati allows 358.6 yards per game (number 24), 219.4 through the air (number 21), 139.3 on the ground (number 24) and 25.4 points (number 23 in the NFL).
What could happen
Maxx Crosby He needs 1.5 sacks to reach 60 sacks in his career and thus become one of three players in Raiders history (since 1982) to reach 60 sacks in his career with the team.
shared pasts
There will be reunions: Raiders assistant coach Marvin Lewiswas head coach of the Bengals from 2003 to 2018; Raiders assistant linebackers coach Marcus Lewiswas part of the Bengals staff from 2014 to 2018. Zach Cartera defensive tackle from Las Vegas, was a third-round draft pick by the Bengals in 2022.
RGS
