Los Angeles Chargers vs Cincinnati Bengals: Betting Guide
The Los Angeles Chargers visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday needing to right the ship. Los Angeles has lost four of its last six games after an impressive 4-1 start and finds itself in the incredibly tight AFC West, where every team is either 7-4 or 6-5. A loss on Sunday would deal a big blow to the Chargers’ playoff chances.
On the other hand, the Bengals have won two straight games in impressive fashion after a pair of ugly losses to the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. They’ll look to keep pace with the 8-3 Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.
The Las Vegas NFL odds like the Cincinnati Bengals in this game but only as slight home favorites.
- Game: Los Angeles Chargers (6-5) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)
- Location: Paul Brown Stadium
- Day/Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
- Television: CBS
Chargers vs Bengals Betting Lines
| Team | Point Spread | Moneyline | Over/Under |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +3 (-105) | +145 | o50½ (-110) |
| Cincinnati Bengals | -3 (-115) | -165 | u50½ (-110) |
Head-to-Head
The Chargers have won both meetings since they moved to Los Angeles and prevailed in the 2020 matchup 16-13 behind 144 combined rushing yards from Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley (and three Michael Badgley field goals). The last time the Bengals won was in 2015, when Andy Dalton was their quarterback.
Los Angeles leads the head-to-head series 22-15.
Los Angeles Chargers
Next game: vs. New York Giants
Last Game
The Chargers are coming off an ugly 28-13 loss to the Denver Broncos last weekend in which they fell behind by 14 points quickly and Justin Herbert threw a pair of interceptions. Los Angeles couldn’t get Ekeler going on the ground and Herbert was picked off twice in the fourth quarter when the Chargers still had a chance. They also had no answer for Denver’s rushing attack with Melvin Gordon III and Javonte Williams.
Los Angeles lost straight up as 2½ point road favorites. The under (47 points) was never really in question with both teams’ offenses not exactly clicking on all cylinders.
Injury Report
LA’s secondary was banged-up against Denver, as cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. and safety Alohi Gilman both missed the game and are questionable for Sunday. Offensive guard Matt Feiler (ankle) also didn’t play last week and is questionable as well.
Safety Mark Webb Jr. is on injured reserve and defensive tackle Linval Joseph is on the COVID-19/reserve list. Both are out.
Cincinnati Bengals
Next game: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Last Game
The Bengals absolutely obliterated the Pittsburgh Steelers over the weekend, holding Ben Roethlisberger and Co. to three points for the game’s first 57 minutes in a 41-10 win. Joe Burrow was efficient, completing 20 of 24 passes and notching a touchdown through the air and on the ground, while Joe Mixon ran wild for 165 yards and two scores. It was a complete beatdown in every way.
Cincinnati easily covered as 3½-point home favorites. The Bengals almost managed to cover the over (43½ points) themselves.
Injury Report
Cincinnati suffered a pair of offensive line injuries against the Steelers. tackle Riley Reiff (ankle) and center Trey Hopkins (knee) left the game early and are questionable for Sunday. Wide receiver Auden Tate and running back Chris Evans are also dealing with ailments and could be out as well.
Cornerback Trae Waynes (hamstring) wasn’t activated off injured reserve for the Pittsburgh game so he is still listed as out too.
Chargers vs Bengals Final Betting Analysis
The Bengals are actually sixth in both scoring offense and scoring defense in the NFL, which underscores how impressive they’ve been on both sides of the ball. Burrow has thrown too many interceptions (12) but, overall, he has been really good in his first full season after an injury-shortened rookie year.
His connection with college teammate and Rookie of the Year candidate Ja’Marr Chase has completely changed the explosiveness of Cincinnati’s offense, which also has high-level weapons in Mixon, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. It’s just not easy to stop all those guys at the same time, so it’s a little surprising that Cincinnati isn’t favored by more points on the BetUS sportsbook.
In fact, the Bengals opened as only 2½ favorites and the line has moved up just a bit to -3. Look for it to possibly go more in Cincinnati’s favor as the week goes on. If you’re making NFL picks against the spread, keep an eye on the line very closely because, if you like the Bengals, it could be smart to take them and lay the points now while it’s still low.
Of course, it’s not like the Chargers are a bad team by any means. They just might be a year too early to be a true contender. Herbert has an electric arm and has been really good this year, and has an incredible wide receiver duo in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. However the Chargers’ defense gives up the fourth-most points per game in football (almost 27 per) and is dead-last in terms of rushing yards allowed. The Bengals’ well-balanced offense is just a really bad matchup for LA.
There is some value on the Chargers’ moneyline at +145, but it doesn’t seem like enough juice to justify jumping in on a road underdog that hasn’t been playing well lately and could be missing a few starters due to injury.
If you’re betting online, consider the over on the point total. Both teams can put up points in a hurry and the Chargers can’t really stop anybody, so there’s very high potential for a classic shootout with exciting young quarterbacks.
