
4:30 PM EST, NBC – Line: Bengals -5, Over/Under: 49

With the longest regular season in the history of the National Football League now in the rearview mirror, the playoffs have finally begun as the Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals square off in a rematch of postseason neophytes today from Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Given everything that they’ve endured over the last four months, it’s poetic that the Raiders (10-7, 2nd in AFC West) have advanced to the playoffs, putting behind them a string of unfortunate and disappointing events that would have completely derailed any other team. Indeed, no team was more willing to turn the page from 2021 to 2022 than Las Vegas, who in a span of roughly a month saw (longtime Head Coach) Jon Gruden resign from his post following the release of controversial emails unearthed during a federal government probe into the Washington Football Team while he was working as an analyst for ESPN back in 2011, along with the outright release of each of their 2020 first round picks, (Wideout) Henry Ruggs (24 REC, 469 YDS, 19.5 Y/R, 2 TD) and (Cornerback) Damon Arnette (4 TKL, 1 PD), with the former jailed following a high-speed DUI collision that killed a woman, and a viral video of the latter making threats to an individual while holding a firearm. At one point it had appeared that enough was enough for the Silver & Black, with (Interim Head Coach) Rich Bisaccia & Co losing five out of six games following their bye week, as the franchise braced themselves for what was sure to be quite the revolution in the offseason. However, the Raiders managed to inexplicably turn things around when they needed it the most, eschewing their previous late season collapses by winning their final four games of the campaign, including what was essentially an elimination game against the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday night. Ladies and gentlemen, this one was quite the affair as Las Vegas survived an epic 35-32 production that required every second of overtime to decide a victor. After jumping out to an early 10-0 lead, the hosts quickly fell behind the Lightning Bolts who managed to turn the tables 14-10 late in the second quarter. However, a plethora of things started to break the Raiders’ way; facing a 3rd & 23 from their own 35-yard line, (backup Tailback) Jalen Richard (21 TCH, 112 YDS, 5.3 Y/T, 0 TD) barreled through a host of visiting defenders to move the chains and keep the drive alive, with a crucial 41-yard pass-interference drawn by (Receiver) Zay Jones (47 REC, 546 YDS, 11.6 Y/R, 1 TD) gifting the hosts the football at the one-yard line before (Pro-Bowl Tailback) Josh Jacobs (271 TCH, 1,220 YDS, 4.5 Y/T, 9 TD) retook the lead before halftime. After intermission, they stuffed a questionable 4th & 1 attempt from the Chargers’ own 18-yard marker, immediately leading to a (Kicker) Daniel Carlson field goal to make it 20-14 early in the third period. Bisaccia’s troops would eventually extend their lead to 29-14 midway through the final stanza before LA rallied back, eventually forcing overtime. In the extra frame both teams would settle for field goals on their opening drives, and as time continued to tick away and the likelihood of a tie became more and more possible, everything changed as the Bolts inexplicably called a timeout as the Raiders appeared to be content running out the clock at their opponent’s 39-yard line with only thirty-eight seconds left to play. Jacobs, who just picked up seven yards to set up a possible long field goal, plowed his way for another ten, teeing up Carlson for the walk-off 47-yarder to send the Silver & Black to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. This ending was WILD for a variety of reasons, though none more so than the fact that if the affair had ended in a tie, then both combatants would have been assured of a postseason berth. But by calling that timeout, Los Angeles gave their bitter rivals an excuse to run another play and attempt a shorter field goal, which at the end of the day turned out to be the difference between disappointment and elation. For the Raiders, a tie would have booked them a trip to Kansas City to face a Chiefs side that had embarrassed them by a combined SIXTY-SIX points in their two meetings this season, instead setting up today’s rematch with the young Bengals. Granted, Cincinnati bested them in a 32-13 encounter back in late November, but this is a very different team than the one that they faced before, and one that is riding a wave of momentum at the moment. Today’s contest marks just the second postseason appearance for the Raiders in nineteen years, fighting for everything they’ve received with a whopping SIX walk-off victories this season, four of which were decided in overtime. Furthermore, Bisaccia became the first Interim Head Coach to lead his side to the playoffs since 1961, making the decision to retain his services all the more difficult for (Owner) Mark Davis. This matchup also marks (veteran Quarterback) Derek Carr’s (68.4%, 4,804 YDS, 6,85 NY/A, 23 TD, 14 INT, 52.7 QBR) first venture into the postseason; the 30-year-old has started the fourth-most games of any Quarterback making his playoff debut (127), having missed his team’s previous offering five years ago with a broken leg suffered on the penultimate weekend of the 2016 campaign. Indeed, one of the more underappreciated passers in the NFL, Carr has been one of the few constants for a team that has been mired in controversy this season, and while he has had better statistical showings, this may have been his finest; after losing Gruden (who was also the primary offensive playcaller), along with an emerging deep threat in Ruggs, and missing the services of (Pro-Bowl Tight End) Darren Waller (55 REC, 665 YDS, 12.1 Y/R, 2 TD) for five consecutive weeks, all the while performing behind an overhauled Offensive Line, Carr oftentimes singlehandedly carried the offense, leading them on six game-winning drives, four of which were fourth quarter comebacks. In fact, no player at his position has engineered more game-winning drives since he was drafted in 2014, with thirty of his fifty-seven career victories requiring such a performance. And now he’ll be looking to break the Raiders near twenty-year drought and win a playoff game, with their last being in the 2003 AFC Championship Game. Make no mistake, there is A LOT riding on the outcome of this affair, including the jobs of both Bisaccia and (General Manager) Mike Mayock, with Davis reportedly courting many big names to come to Sin City and take his franchise to the next level. While many expected that last weekend’s victory over the Chargers would be enough to confirm Bisaccia and Mayock moving forward, a win today would go a long way towards cementing the status of the former, if not both.

Meanwhile, as encouraging a story as their opponent has been, the Bengals (10-7, 1st in AFC North) are the undisputed darlings of the NFL coming into Wild Card Weekend, kicking down the doors of the league’s postseason VIP section after years of wandering aimlessly in the wilderness. Simply put, you would have been hard-pressed to find a Head Coach in more need of a show of progress than Zac Taylor, who had spent the previous two seasons overseeing an arduous rebuild in Southern Ohio, as Cincinnati stumbled to a combined 6-25-1 record en route to finishing in the division cellar for a third consecutive year. However, 2021 has served as the rebirth of this franchise, with a host of young, talented playmakers emerging for a team that suddenly has one of the brightest futures in the league. So, what in the name of Anthony Munoz has changed in Cincy, you ask? Well, the Bengals have drafted and developed at a high level of late, particularly on offense where their passing attack has become one of the most explosive in the NFL. This is where the ascension of (Sophomore Quarterback) Joe Burrow (70.4%, 4,611 YDS, 7.43 NY/A, 34 TD, 14 INT, 54.4 QBR) comes into play, with the former no. one overall pick improving exponentially after missing the final six games of his rookie campaign with a torn ACL. In sixteen starts this season, the 25-year-old finished 2021 as the league-leader in completion percentage (70.4%) and yards per attempt (8.9), while setting franchise records in passing touchdowns (34) and passing yards (4,611). Furthermore, he’s entering his first postseason with a wealth of momentum, for in his final two starts of the campaign, a 41-21 drubbing of the Ravens followed by a 34-31 upset of the Chiefs, Burrow completed nearly 80.0% of his attempts for 971 yards and eight touchdowns. As you can imagine, he’s had no shortage of weapons, with a quartet of homegrown targets routinely making plays in the passing game, including (Wideouts) Tee Higgins (74 REC, 1,091 YDS, 14.7 Y/R, 6 TD) and Tyler Boyd (67 REC, 828 YDS, 12.4 Y/R, 5 TD), along with (Tight End) C.J. Uzomah (49 ERC, 493 YDS, 10.1 Y/R, 5 TD). However, the biggest gun in their arsenal has been (Rookie Receiver) Ja’Marr Chase (81 REC, 1,455 YDS, 18.0 Y/R, 13 TD), who is likely the frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Though many were clamoring for the Bengals to select a pass-protector at fifth overall in last Spring’s NFL Draft (and why wouldn’t they after what happened to Burrow?), the faithful in Cincinnati are undoubtedly happy that they opted to reunite their Quarterback with one of his favorite collegiate targets, as Chase has gone on to make franchise history by shattering Chad Johnson’s single-season receiving record with a prolific 1,455 yards, highlighted by a rookie record 266 yards in that victory over Kansas City two weeks ago. Furthermore, this kid is a threat to go the distance every single time he touches the football, evidenced in eight of his thirteen touchdowns traveling thirty yards or more, including five of which that encompassed at least fifty yards, two of which came against the Chiefs. And it’s largely on the strength of these fireworks that the Bengals managed to win the annually competitive AFC North for the first time since 2015, which is coincidentally the last time that they have advanced to the playoffs. Rather than simply being content with playing into January, the focus for Taylor’s charges will be all about breaking one of the most dubious streaks in the National Football League, as they look to earn their first postseason victory in THIRTY years. That’s right, folks, Cincinnati hasn’t won a playoff game since 1991, losing eight consecutive contests. In fact, that stretch began against the then-Los Angeles Raiders, who bested them in a 20-10 affair at the Los Angeles Coliseum that also served as the final game in the career of (Raiders’ Tailback) Bo Jackson, who suffered a hip injury on a relatively routine tackle late in the matchup. Each of the next seven postseason defeats would come during the lengthy Marvin Lewis era, which despite enjoying tepid success (131-122-3) became synonymous with an inability to win in January. All seven losses came on Wild Card Weekend, with four of them coming at Paul Brown Stadium, including that disappointing 31-17 loss to the Steelers in the 2006 Wild Card in which (former Quarterback) Carson Palmer tore is ACL on his first pass of the afternoon, and their most recent being an insane 18-16 affair with Pittsburgh, featuring a backup Quarterback engineering a 15-point rally, a monsoon, a deluge of turnovers and penalties, a failed two-point conversion, and a game-winning field goal. Needless to say, there are a myriad of demons that this franchise can exercise with a win today, which should be a goal that they feel confident in reaching given their previous encounter with the Silver & Black. As we stated earlier, the Bengals handled the Raiders well in a 32-13 affair back on November 21st: fresh off their bye week, Cincinnati gradually wrested a 16-6 lead over Las Vegas, before the hosts cut the deficit to three points early in the fourth quarter, only for Burrow & Co. nineteen unanswered points to end the evening. Ironically, this game wasn’t decided by Burrow’s arm, but rather the ground game led by (Tailback) Joe Mixon (292 CAR, 1,205 YDS, 4.1 Y/A, 13 TD), who trampled the home side for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns on a season-high thirty carries. Cincy dominated time of possession (37:30) thanks in large part to 159 rushing yards and converting 8-of-16 third downs, which is something that should bode well for this rematch with Vegas. As prolific as he has been, Burrow was sacked more times than any Quarterback in the NFL this season (51), and the Raiders sport one of the best edge-rushing tandems in the form of Maxx Crosby (56 TKL, 13 TFL, 30 QBH, 8.0 SK, 7 PD) and Yannick Ngakoue (28 TKL, 8 TFL, 23 QBH, 10.0 SK, 2 FF, 3 PD). Furthermore, their employment of the Seattle Cover-3 scheme does a good job of limiting big passing plays downfield, forcing opposing Quarterbacks to patiently chip away at the weak points in their shell coverages. This was the case when these teams last met, as Burrow totaled a season-low 148 yards on 20-of-29 passing, sustaining three sacks along the way. It seemed as if Taylor was intent on forcing the run game earlier this season before eventually turning around and giving Burrow carte blanche to bomb away, but they’ve proven that they can run it when the matchup suits them; twenty-third in rushing offense at 102.5 yards per game, the Bengals were held below ninety yards on eight occasions, including each of their last three outings, but have also managed to churn out over 140 yards four times. We have a feeling that the aforementioned Mixon will be seeing plenty of action today.