The Cincinnati Bengals (+14) are set to pay a visit to the Los Angeles Chargers (-14) at StubHub Center. CBS will broadcast the action and this late afternoon game is scheduled to get underway at 4:05 p.m. ET.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Chargers Betting Preview
Cincinnati is playing the role of underdog and is currently getting 14 points in this AFC game. The Bengals are also receiving +550 moneyline odds while the Chargers are -925. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 48 points. It appears that there might be multiple good live betting opportunities in this game.
This game’s opening line was -15. The total hasn’t moved since it opened at 48.
The Bengals are 5-7 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 2.1 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 8-4. The Chargers are up 3.9 units this season. The team is 7-5 ATS and owns an O/U record of 7-5.
The Bengals are just 5-7 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Chargers are 9-3 SU.
Los Angeles enters this matchup on a four-game losing streak while Cincinnati has won its last two in a row. The Bengals fell to Denver 24-10 in a Week 13 matchup where their defense allowed the Broncos to eat up the clock by rushing for 218 yards on 34 attempts, including two rush TDs. Phillip Lindsay was unstoppable for the Broncos in that one with 157 rushing yards and both touchdowns on 19 attempts. On the offensive side, Jeff Driskel completed 25 passes for 236 yards, along with a score and a pick. Joe Mixon (82 rushing yards on 12 attempts) spearheaded the ground attack in the loss while Bernard (six receptions, 32 yards) and Tyler Boyd (six catches, 97 yards) manned the receiving duties.
Los Angeles is coming off of a 33-30 win over Pittsburgh in Week 13. The defensive secondary let the Steelers air it out for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Antonio Brown was on a different level for Pittsburgh, recording 154 yards on 10 catches. For Los Angeles, Philip Rivers completed 26-of-36 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Austin Ekeler (21 yards on 13 rush attempts) and Justin Jackson (63 yards on eight carries, one TD) mounted the ground game in the win as Keenan Allen (14 receptions, 148 yards, one TD) and Ekeler (five catches, 22 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
Cincinnati has run the ball on 35.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Los Angeles has a rush percentage of 44.2 percent. The Bengals have produced 95 rush yards/game and have 10 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Bolts are logging 125 rush yards per game and have 11 total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Bolts could have the edge in terms of effectiveness in the ground game. Their backfield has logged 4.9 yards per carry while their defense has allowed a YPC of 4.4 to opponents. The Bengals have registered 4.7 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 4.9 to opponents.
The Bengals offensive scheme has logged 253 yards per game in the air overall and has 23 passing TDs so far. The Bolts have recorded 286 pass yards per game and have 28 total pass scores.
Defensively, Cincinnati has let opponents run for an average of 153 yards and pass for 289 yards per game. The Los Angeles defense has allowed 248.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 104.0 yards per game on the ground. The Bolts are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.81 to opposing QBs, while the Bengals have given up a 7.35 ANY/A.
Offensively, Driskel is up to 320 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 31-of-44 attempts with one scores through the air and one interception. Driskel has a 5.40 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.76 over the last two outings.
Philip Rivers has managed to complete 237-of-351 passes for 3,159 yards, 25 TDs and six INTs for Los Angeles. His ANY/A stands at 8.92 for the year and 8.76 over his last two games.
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Notes
Betting Notes
Cincinnati has produced 4.9 yards per carry across its last three outings and 5.6 over its last two.
Los Angeles has averaged 4.6 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.1 over its past two.
Both teams have lost four fumbles this season.
Cincinnati has lost seven of its last eight games SU, with a three-point victory over Tampa Bay on October 28th accounting for the only win over that span.
Los Angeles has won nine of its last 10 games SU, with a -1-point defeat to Denver on November 18th accounting for the one loss over that stretch.
The Bengals offense has registered one pass play of 40 yards or more, while the Chargers have accounted for 10 such plays.
The Cincinnati defense has allowed eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Los Angeles has given up seven such plays.
The Cincinnati offense has created 12 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Los Angeles has created 15 such runs.
The Bengals defense has allowed 12 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Chargers have given up seven such runs.
The Los Angeles defense has recorded 29 sacks on the year while Cincinnati has 26.
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