Last Week: Raiders 35, Chargers 32
Las Vegas extended its NFL record with a sixth walk-off win in a single season when Daniel Carlson kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired in overtime to eliminate the divisional rival Los Angeles Chargers from the playoffs. Las Vegas would have been in the playoffs even without the successful kick, but with a win instead of a tie, the Raiders enter as the No. 5 seed, rather than No. 7. Third-year running back Josh Jacobs amassed 69 of his career-high 132 yards in overtime, pulling Las Vegas into field goal range when the Chargers repeatedly couldn’t take him down.
This Week: Raiders (10-7) at Bengals (10-7)
When: Saturday, January 15, 1:30 p.m.
Where: Paul Brown Stadium
TV: KSNV Channel 3, NBC
Radio: 920-AM, 92.3-FM
Betting line: Bengals -6.5, over/under: 49
Matchup: Cincinnati defeated Las Vegas in a Week 11 defensive struggle at Allegiant Stadium, with the Bengals ultimately prevailing 32-13. The score read 13-6 heading into the fourth quarter, when the Raiders committed a pair of costly turnovers. The defeat was part of a midseason swoon that saw Las Vegas fall in five of six games. Much has changed since then, however, as the Raiders are on their first four-game winning streak in five years. The Bengals had won three in a row to clinch the AFC North title before sitting some starters, including quarterback Joe Burrow, last week. The Raiders haven’t won a playoff game in 20 years, and the Bengals haven’t won one in 32 years—one drought will end on Saturday.
Raider to Watch: Edge rusher Maxx Crosby
Crosby gets the nod for a second straight week, because choosing anyone else would be foolish. He had nothing short of a legendary performance in the playoff-clinching win against the Chargers with two sacks, four quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and four pass deflections. He affected reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert on nearly every play, and will now need to do the same against an equally gifted second-year quarterback in Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020. Crosby was the Raiders’ runaway most valuable player in the regular season, and they’ll need the same production in the playoffs.
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