The Cincinnati Bengals welcome the Los Angeles Chargers to Paul Brown Stadium in Week 1 for the NFL debut of No. 1 draft choice QB Joe Burrow. Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m ET Sunday. Below, we preview the Chargers-Bengals betting odds and lines and make our NFL picks and best bets.
Chargers at Bengals betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Chargers -167 (bet $167, win $100) | Bengals +140 (Bet $100, win $140)
- Against the Spread/ATS: Chargers -3 (-110) | Bengals +3 (-110)
- Over/Under: 41.5 (O: -110, U: -110)
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Chargers at Bengals game notes
- Burrow is just one of the new faces who’ll play a key role for the Bengals from Week 1. Fellow rookie WR Tee Higgins and free-agent CB Mackensie Alexander will help improve a team that went 2-14 in 2019. WR A.J. Green is also set to return after missing all of 2019 due to injury.
- The Chargers begin life without QB Philip Rivers and will go with Tyrod Taylor under center until rookie Justin Herbert is ready.
- Los Angeles also added DT Linval Joseph and CB Chris Harris Jr. this offseason. LB Kenneth Murray was taken in the first round of the draft. S Derwin James was already lost for the year due to a training camp injury and RB Melvin Gordon III left in free agency.
- The Chargers beat the Bengals 26-21 in a 2018 meeting. Rivers and Jeff Driskel were the starting quarterbacks, but Bengals RB Joe Mixon amassed 138 total yards with a rushing touchdown and Chargers RB Austin Ekeler totaled 94 yards and a score on the ground.
- The offensive lines of the Chargers and Bengals ranked 20th and 31st, respectively, last season in pass block win rate. It could be a rough opening night for both Burrow and Taylor.
Chargers at Bengals key injuries
Chargers
- C Mike Pouncey (hip) questionable
- WR Mike Williams (shoulder) questionable
- QB Tyrod Taylor (calf) probable
Bengals
- DT Geno Atkins (shoulder) questionable
- DT Mike Daniels (groin) questionable
Chargers at Bengals: Odds, betting lines, picks and prediction
Prediction
Chargers 20, Bengals 16
Moneyline (?)
The CHARGERS (-167) are road favorites, but there’ll be no fans present at Paul Brown Stadium to add to the difficulty of cross-country travel from the Southwest. Burrow is faced with a tough test for his NFL debut as he goes up against Chargers DE Joey Bosa and Harris poses a formidable matchup in the secondary.
While Taylor will make his starting debut for LA in Week 1, he spent the entirety of the 2019 season backing up Rivers and got into parts of eight games. Look for his familiarity with offensive weapons Ekeler and WRs Keenan Allen and Williams to make the difference against the young but promising Bengals.
Against the Spread (?)
The spread will be tight, but CHARGERS -3 (-110) seems like the play. I expect a big night for Bosa against the porous Bengals O-line and Harris should be able to keep Allen in check.
Burrow hasn’t had much time to grow a rapport with his impressive fleet of wideouts. While the Bengals are loaded with talent on offense, they’re likely to be settling for field goals more often than not in the early weeks of the 2020 season.
Over/Under (?)
Take the UNDER 41.5 (-110). Not only is it an early-season meeting between two teams having undergone many changes, but both teams lean heavily on the run. The clock will keep running and points will be slow to accumulate.
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