Chargers vs. Bengals: Point spread and betting advice

The first Sunday game of  Wild Card weekend will be an AFC matchup between the San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals.

This is going to be a tough game to bet on, mostly because San Diego is coming into this matchup riding a huge wave of momentum. The Chargers are 9-7 and barely made it into the sixth seed of the AFC playoffs, but they’re riding a four-game winning streak and have won five of their last six. This includes wins over Denver and two over Kansas City.

The Bengals, on the other-hand, are the AFC North champs and are finished the season on a good note themselves. Cincinnati has won its last two games and has also won five of its last six.

According to Bovada.net, the Bengals are favored by seven (Bengals -7). The good news for the Bengals is that the game is at home, so that’s one of the reasons they’re favored by a touchdown. It’s also worth noting that Cincy has one of the best defenses in the league. The Bengals are giving up only 209 passing yards per game, and 96.5 on the ground.

Andy Dalton and the Bengals’ offense provides 258.7 points per game through the air themselves, so the Bengals are undoubtedly a tough matchup.

Speaking of matchups, the Chargers, led by Philip Rivers, are ranked fourth in the NFL in passing yards (270.5 a game), but Cincinnati’s defense should be able to defend against San Diego’s aerial attack. That’s really where San Diego can beat you, especially on the road, so even though this is tough to call; I’d say it’s a safe bet to go with the Bengals to cover the spread in this matchup.

For the record, the Bengals beat the Chargers 17-10 in San Diego in Week 13.