San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals, Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Sunday, December 26, 2010, 4:05 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Chargers -7
Current Line: Chargers -9
Opening Total: 44.5
Current Total: 44
Money Line: Chargers -370 / Bengals +310
It may end up being too little too late for the San Diego Chargers (8-6), but that will not stop them from continuing their push for the playoffs when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals (3-11) on Sunday. The Chargers (-9) have won six of their last seven games following a 2-5 start, but another strong finish might not be enough to catch division-leading Kansas City in the AFC West.
San Diego has won the last four division titles thanks in part to dominating closes to the regular seasons. Quarterback Philip Rivers improved to 20-1 in the month of December as a starter with a 34-7 win over San Francisco 10 days ago and has gone a perfect 10-0 on the road. The lone December loss came three weeks ago against Oakland, a 28-13 victory for the Raiders that gave them a sweep of the season series.
Rivers completed 19 of 25 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers, with all three going to suddenly reborn wide receiver Vincent Jackson. With wide receiver Malcom Floyd and tight end Antonio Gates sitting out due to injuries, Jackson could not have picked a better time for his best game of the season. He also came up large in last year’s 27-24 win over the Bengals, finishing with five catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
Jackson has only been active three games this season due to a bitter contract dispute, and he could earn himself a big contract by helping his team get to the postseason. His presence will be needed with Gates expected to miss the last two games with a right foot injury.
Cincinnati knows a thing or two about injures and could be without starting receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco. Owens is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury while Ochocinco missed practice on Wednesday with a sore ankle and could miss the games as well.
The Bengals will likely try to lean on running back Cedric Benson after he rushed for 150 yards on 31 carries in a 19-17 win over Cleveland last week. Benson has ran for more than 81 yards just three times this season and will face a stiff test against San Diego’s second-ranked run defense, giving up just 89.4 yards per game.
The Chargers have won five of the last six meetings with Cincy, going 4-2 against the spread. One thing bettors can expect when these teams get together is high-scoring games. The OVER is 6-0-1 in the last seven games between them, averaging over 67 points per game in the past three.
Now that you have read this football betting preview featuring the Bengals & Chargers, check out the NFL odds on this and all the games to compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks.
