Raiders vs. Bengals: NFL Wild Card betting odds, preview, and pick

The Las Vegas Raiders successfully defeated the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday night to earn their spot in the playoffs, and they are now set to face the Cincinnati Bengals in the 4 vs. 5 seed AFC matchup.

Let’s take a closer look at this playoff game that kicks off the 2022 postseason.

The first of six excellent games during Wild Card weekend kicks off at 4:35 ET on Saturday. The visiting Raiders are 10-7 straight up and 8-9 against the spread. The Bengals are also 10-7 and 10-7 against the spread.

The spread on this game has the Bengals as a six-point favorite, and the total is set at 49 points. The Bengals haven’t won a playoff game since 1990.

Youth movement in Cincinnati

The Bengals have been a disappointing franchise for fans of the black and orange. Despite a nice run with head coach Marvin Lewis that saw them make the postseason in six of seven seasons from 2009-2015, they haven’t won in the knockout round since 1990, an incredible 31-year drought.

Things appear on the verge of changing very soon, as the Bengals are -275 moneyline favorites to win this game.

The reason for the potential change of history is the youth movement taking place in Cincinnati. Head coach Zac Taylor is one of the youngest coaches in the league and brings innovative offensive play sets to the field.

Making it all work is former first-overall draft pick and Heisman trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow, who likely would have won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020, if not for injury.

Burrow is throwing to his favorite collegiate target and now favorite professional target, Ja’Marr Chase, who is likely to win the 2021 OROY award (something we saw coming back in April). Chase set the single-game rookie receiving record, with 266 yards against the Chiefs, and finished the regular season with 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Chase’s colleagues on offense include 22-year-old receiver Tee Higgins, who also finished with more than 1,000 yards, and 25-year-old running back Joe Mixon, who added more than 1,200 yards on the ground.

The Bengals are young and hungry, and determined to break the drought that began before many of their star players were even born.

Raiders vs. Bengals betting trends 

• Raiders are 0-5 ATS in the last five meetings between these teams
• Bengals are 4-0 ATS in their last four games
• Bengals are 5-1 ATS in their last six games versus teams with a winning record
• The Over is 5-1 in the Bengals' last six home games
• The favorite is 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings between these teams

Bengals will get vindication

The Bengals had a positive 84-point differential this season, while the Raiders were minus 65. Despite their similar 10-7 records, these are two teams that are clearly of different caliber.

The Bengals were third in the league in points per play, while the Raiders were 18th. With home-field advantage against a team coming off a tremendously emotional play-in game, the Bengals should have enough offensive firepower to pull away and break their 30-year drought.

Score prediction: Bengals 28, Raiders 21

NFL Wild Card pick: Bengals -6