At the beginning of the season, gamblers were optimistic that the Cincinnati Bengals would show improvement with the NFL betting odds. Cause of the expected recovery and return of quarterback Joe Burrow. Instead, the Bengals are struggling to gain traction. On Thursday night, Cincinnati hits the road to face the Los Angeles Chargers. First-year head coach Jim Harbaugh has a team that is in a wild-card playoff position. In like manner to his teams at Michigan, Harbaugh’s Chargers emphasize strong defense and elimination of mistakes. Conversely, Harbaugh has plenty of work to do offensively for his team.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Chargers NFL Betting Information
| Date and Time: | Sunday, November 17, 2024, 8:20 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA |
| TV Coverage: | NBC |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | +1 -105 | 47 -110 | +105 |  |
| Chargers | -1 -115 | 47 -110 | -125 | |
| ||||
Cincinnati Bengals Team Overview
Last game, the Cincinnati Bengals lost 35-34 against the Baltimore Ravens as 6-point road dogs. The game went over the sports betting total of 53. Cincinnati has a record of 4-6 straight up, 6-4 against the spread, and 7-3 over/under the total. Cincinnati ranks 12th for total offense, 4th for passing, 29th for rushing and 6th for scoring. Defensively they rank 22nd overall, 22nd against the pass, 17th against the rush, and 26th for points allowed. Also, Cincinnati ranks 10th for fewest turnovers lost and 17th for takeaways.
Lamar Jackson threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes. And then the Ravens stopped Cincinnati on a 2-point conversion with 38 seconds remaining to hold off the Bengals. The Ravens rallied from a 21-7 third-quarter deficit, overcoming a huge game from Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Overall, Baltimore had 231 of its 389 total yards in the fourth quarter.
Chase finished with 11 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Including a 5-yarder in the final minute to bring the Bengals within one. Cincinnati – which lost to Baltimore in overtime last month – decided to go for 2 and the lead. However, Joe Burrow’s pass for Tanner Hudson sailed high.
“We had our opportunity,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “We got down there, went for two and just didn’t work out for us. This team is going to continue to put us in good positions, and there’s going to be a point in the season where that turns.”
Los Angeles Chargers Team Overview
Last game, the Los Angeles Chargers won 27-17 against the Tennessee Titans as 8-point home favorites. The game went over the total of 40. Los Angeles has a record of 6-3 straight up, 6-3 against the spread, and 2-7 over/under the total. Los Angeles ranks 22nd for total offense, 22nd for passing, 20th for rushing and 20th for scoring. Defensively they rank 6th overall, 9th against the pass, 9th against the rush, and 1st for points allowed. Also, Los Angeles ranks 2nd for fewest turnovers lost and 9th for takeaways.
The combination of steady play by Justin Herbert and a strong defense has given the Los Angeles Chargers their best start in six years. To illustrate, Herbert threw for a touchdown and ran for one, and the Chargers had seven sacks in their third straight victory. The Chargers are 6-3, which is their best start since going 7-2 in 2018. Also, they have won four of five to surpass last season’s victory total.
“A complete, total team win. When you look at the offense, the drives that we put together … tough, gritty type of conversions on third down and fourth down,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “They’re playing lights out on the defensive side. And then special teams, another big return by our punt return unit.”
In sum, Herbert completed 14 of 18 passes for 164 yards and had 32 yards rushing. He is the seventh quarterback since the NFL-AFL merger, and the first since Philip Rivers in 2018, to have a passer rating of at least 90 in each of the first nine games of the season. Meanwhile, the defense is allowing a league-low 13.1 points per game. It is the fourth since 1990 and the first since the 2013 Kansas City Chiefs to allow 20 or fewer points in each of its first nine games.
Bengals at Chargers SBG Free Picks
In this situation, the Chargers’ defense is the Pro football Bets difference.
Bengals at Chargers SBG Best Bet: Los Angeles Chargers and Under the Total.