Bengals vs. Raiders: Who are the experts picking in Week 11?

Coming off their BYE week, the Cincinnati Bengals have an interesting matchup with a fellow 5-4 squad in the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bengals will be on the road playing in the Raiders’ dazzling Allegiant Stadium in front of the ruckus Raider faithful. According to WynnBET, Cincy is slightly favored as a 1.5-point favorite.

Both the Bengals and Raiders are teams dealing with recent struggles—both are on two-game losing streaks—and are looking to heighten their playoff chances. The similarities between the two are quite uncanny. Vegas had an inexcusable loss to the Giants while the stripes dropped a game to the Jets. Also, both are looking to bounce back after blowout losses.

This game should be one of the more meaningful NFL games in Week 11 with playoff implications in the AFC. Here’s a look at who the experts are taking in a clash expected to be a close one.

Bengals vs. Raiders – Expert Picks

• Jeremy Cluff (Arizona Republic) – Bengals 27, Raiders 20
• Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) – Bengals 31, Raiders 24
• John Breech (CBS Sports) – Bengals 27, Raiders 24
• Ben Rolfe (Pro Football Network) – Raiders 27, Bengals 23

"“This matchup between two teams with a lot of questions to answer could be vital for the direction of the AFC. The Bengals need to avoid any concerns coming off the bye, while the Raiders need to put their humiliating loss to the Chiefs behind them. This is a tough game to judge, but the advantage goes to the superior pass rush of the Raiders against an offensive line that has struggled to pass block at times.” – Rolfe, Pro Football Network"

The general consensus seems to be siding with Cincinnati mostly due to the doubt surrounding Las Vegas right now. Both teams have their issues, but the Raiders have recently built a reputation of collapsing after starting the season on a good note.

Rolfe’s mention of Vegas’ pass rush will certainly be a key in this one. Cincinnati must give Joe Burrow time against one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league this season: “Madd” Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue. If Cincy can protect Burrow from this fearsome pass rush, the Bengals should be able to get it done against a Raiders offense that has sputtered in recent weeks.

One thing is for sure, the Bengals vs. Raiders should be a close, highly-competitive game with two teams jostling for positioning in the playoffs.