Raiders vs. Bengals 2022 NFL Wild Card Odds, Preview & Pick

By Hank Blaine • January 11, 2022

The first playoff game on the NFL’s Wild-Card Weekend is a regular-season rematch as the Las Vegas Raiders visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday afternoon – and weather conditions could be a factor with cold temperatures and snow possible.

In Week 11 in Las Vegas, the Bengals beat the Raiders 32-13. Rookie kicker Evan McPherson tied an NFL record with three field goal makes of at least 50 yards; he finished with four makes overall. Joe Mixon rushed for 123 yards and two scores on 30 carries. Joe Burrow enjoyed an efficient game on 20 of 29 passing for a career-low 148 yards but found rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase in the back corner of the end zone from six yards to push the Bengals lead to 22-13 with 5:04 remaining. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr finished 19 of 27 for 215 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Las Vegas failed to convert on its first six third-down attempts.

NitroBetting presents a comprehensive preview of the Raiders vs. Bengals game down below. Find event details, team and player stats, the latest NFL betting odds, trends, and predictions.

Raiders vs. Bengals Game Information

When: Saturday, January 15, 2022, 4:30 PM ET
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
TV: NBC
Radio: WDVE-FM 102.5 (Raiders) / WIYY 98 Rock (Bengals)
Live Stream: NFL Network, NFL League Pass
NFL Odds: Raiders (+6) / Bengals (-6)

Why Bet on the Las Vegas Raiders?

The Raiders are in the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and got here with a wild 35-32 OT win over the Chargers in Week 18. The Chargers had tied it with a 12-yard TD pass from Justin Herbert to Mike Williams as time expired in regulation. Daniel Carlson hit a 47-yarder as time expired in OT for the win. Carlson kicked five field goals in the game. Carr completed 20 of 36 pass attempts for 186 yards, including two touchdowns. Hunter Renfrow hauled in two touchdown passes, while a clearly injured Josh Jacobs ran for a career-high 132 yards on 26 carries, including one score.

It was the Raiders’ record sixth walk-off win of the season, the most since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

“We’ve been in this situation before,” Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia said. “Derek [Carr] has been in two-minute situations before; he’s been in four-minute situations before. Our defense has had to come up with stops at the end of the game. So you just can’t say enough about how this team prepares. … I just know they believe in each other when they go out there.

Upsets by the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon created a scenario in which the Chargers and Raiders would each earn playoff berths with a tie, while a loss would end either team’s postseason hopes. It appeared the Raiders were OK with a tie near the end until the Chargers called a late timeout.

Why Bet on the Cincinnati Bengals?

The Bengals rested most of their starters on Sunday in a 21-16 loss in Cleveland as the game was essentially meaningless for Cincinnati, which is in the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Burrow didn’t play Sunday but still finished with 34 touchdown passes, 4,611 yards and a 108.3 passer rating, breaking franchise records. Chase had maybe the best rookie season for a receiver in league history, finishing the season with 81 catches for 1,455 yards (franchise record for any player) and 13 touchdowns. Chase’s combination of speed, physicality and after-the-catch ability make it difficult for any defense to match up with him one-on-one.

Cincinnati was without several key players in COVID protocols in Week 18, including Mixon and star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, but they were all activated Monday. The Bengals have fared well against the three AFC playoff teams they’ve played this year. Cincinnati posted a 4-0 record, which included two victories over the Steelers, a win over the Chiefs and a win over the Raiders. No other team in the AFC playoffs had more than three wins against the other six AFC teams that qualified for the postseason.

Raiders vs. Bengals Betting Trends

Raiders are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games as an underdog.
Raiders are 6-2 ATS in the last 8 games as a road underdog.
The total went under in 4 of Las Vegas’ last 6 games.
Bengals are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. AFC.
Bengals are 5-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
The total went over in 5 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games at home.

Raiders vs. Bengals Expert Betting Predictions

2022 NFL Wild Card Pick: Bengals 23, Raiders 17

Check out our latest sports betting guides for the 2021 NFL Regular Season. Stay tuned for more Football previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest football betting odds at our online Bitcoin sportsbook.

*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.