Cincinnati Bengals (4-6) @ Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
Sunday, November 17, 8:20 PM ET
The NFL flexed this game into the Sunday Night Football slot in Week 11 and for good reason. The Los Angeles Chargers deserve the spotlight for the moment because, ironically, they are probably one of the most underrated teams in the NFL right now.
And I say that is ironic because the Chargers are frequently one of the most overrated and overhyped teams in the NFL. They are typically the team that everyone loves to say is a darkhorse Super Bowl candidate or the team to potentially dethrone the Chiefs, but I’m not hearing much of that talk this year despite this being the best Chargers team we’ve seen in the Justin Herbert era, and despite the fact that Jim Harbaugh is far and away the best coach this team has had in quite some time.
The Chargers are going to have their hands full on Sunday night, however, and there is no home-field advantage for LA going up against a team like the Bengals. Not with a healthy Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.
And this week, who knows? Maybe even a healthy Tee Higgins. We’ll see.
The Bengals were inches away from a win against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night. So they’ve had extra time to prep for this game. Stopping the Cincinnati offense is easier said than done at this point and they will be a tremendous test for the Chargers, who have been great all year defensively.
But this isn’t Will Levis and the Titans. This is Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and a desperate Bengals team. I’m slightly shocked that the Chargers are 1.5-point favorites at this point. It would be an upset, to me, if they found a way to win.
Prediction: Bengals win 27-23