The San Diego Chargers were the beneficiaries of a unique set of circumstances last week as they were able to work their way into the AFC playoffs. On Sunday they will line up for their first post–season game against the Cincinnati Bengals in NFL betting action that is set to begin at 1 PM ET at Paul Brown Stadium. For the Chargers to get to this point, the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens had to lose last week, but San Diego was not going to make it easy on themselves, even with the team filled with second-stringers fielded by the Kansas City Chiefs in front of them. So they come into this game in the wild-card round with some dubious credentials, while the Bengals will be looking for some redemption after being knocked out of the playoffs on the road by the Houston Texans the last two post-seasons. In the NFL betting odds that have been established on this game at BetAnySports, the Bengals are favored by almost a full touchdown, as they probably should be:
NFL betting odds @ BetAnySports USA offshore Sportsbook
Cincinnati Bengals -6.5
San Diego Chargers +6.5
Over 47 points -110
Under 47 points -110
There are some pro football bettors who remember when Cincinnati played host to San Diego in the 1991 AFC title game that was maybe even colder than the famed “Ice Bowl” that took place between Green Bay and Dallas in 1967. The Chargers had a high-flying offense led by quarterback Dan Fouts, but they were completely slowed down by the Bengals’ defense and the elements. The weather isn’t going to play such an important part in this one, more likely than not. The temperatures are expected to be in the high 30s for this game, although there could be some precipitation.
What BetAnySports customers might want to pay more attention to is the previous game that was contested between these teams. It took place just five weeks ago, and it was on the Chargers’ home-field. At that point, San Diego was 5-6 on the season and the general consensus was that they had to win that game to remain in the race for wild-card spot. What they did was come up with their worst offensive performance of the season, turning the ball over three times and gaining 334 total yards. That turned out to be a 17-10 defeat which was thought to have virtually eliminated San Diego from the playoff race, although, of course, the four-game winning streak to close out the season put them right into the picture.
Mike Zimmer is one of those coaches who is being considered for the head job somewhere in the off-season, and this would be a good stage to show what he can do; if his unit can repeat that last performance against the San Diego offense, this one could be easy. Cincinnati probably ranks right alongside New Orleans in terms of having the top home-field advantage in the league. At least the numbers bear it out – they have won all eight games straight up at home, and they have also covered all eight in the NFL betting odds. The Bengals gained 164 yards rushing the last time they played San Diego, and if Andy Dalton can avoid getting wild, they should be in pretty good shape.
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