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The Cincinnati Bengals are set to host the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday for their Wild Card matchup. Joe Burrow will make his first playoff appearance in only his second year in the NFL, a remarkable feat for the young quarterback.
Despite the team's trials and tribulations throughout the season, Derek Carr will lead the Raiders in their postseason run. This game could truly go either way, with a lot of talent for both teams on either side of the ball.
For more insight on the Bengals' Wild Card playoff matchup against the Raiders, listen below:
That being said, let's take a look at my four boldest predictions for the Bengals, and why they are taking home the win this Saturday.
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Bengals Wild Card Predictions
4. Tough start
In their Week 18 regular-season finale, the Bengals rested a few starters, including quarterback Joe Burrow. This ultimately resulted in a loss to end the season, which meant very little at the time since the team already clinched a spot in the playoffs.
However, this might come back to bite them during Wild Card Weekend. Before the last game of the season, Burrow and the Bengals were on a three-game winning streak, including a huge win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17. That momentum is most likely gone due to the extended time off, so expect Cincinnati to start slow on Saturday.
3. LSU chemistry continues
There is undeniable chemistry on the Bengals' offense between the QB1 and his wide receivers, but no receiver is more connected to Burrow than his former LSU teammate.
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One of the best things that could have happened for Burrow this season was Ja'Marr Chase joining the squad. He has been Burrow's favorite target this season, and I expect Chase to be a huge talking point on Saturday.
Expect him to have one of his best games of the season against the Raiders' defense, similar to his 266 yards, three touchdowns game against the Kansas City Chiefs. If he could put up numbers like that against Kansas City, he can most certainly do it against Las Vegas.
2. Tons of passing and passing TDs
Burrow has proven himself to be a dominant passing quarterback, especially during an era of football where mobile quarterbacks seem to be taking over. In his last two games, Burrow has thrown for well over 400 yards (446 yds and 525 yds).
And, these two games weren't against small opponents. As I mentioned earlier, Burrow led his team to a remarkable victory over the Chiefs, which is when he put up 446 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. Similar to the expectation of Chase, Burrow should have a game on par with that of the Bengals vs Chiefs back in Week 17. Expect at least 350 passing yards and three passing touchdowns from Burrow on Saturday.
1. Bengals win
Regardless of a slow start, there's no doubt that this Bengals team has what it takes to beat the Raiders. There is an immense amount of chemistry on offense with the duo of Burrow and Chase, as well as a solid, healthy defense. Expect a lot of scoring in this game for both teams. Finally, my boldest prediction yet: Bengals win 33-27.
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