Raiders Wild Card vs Bengals: 3 key matchups to watch

Raiders Wild Card vs Bengals: 3 key matchups to watch

Ja’Marr Chase vs Casey Hayward

The one positive, if any came out of the Raiders’ loss to the Bengals in Week 11 — was that the Raiders pass defense stood its ground against the dangerous passing attack of Cincinnati.

Although the Bengals leaned heavily on the running game, the ability to hold Bengal quarterback to only 148 yards passing (his lowest tally of the season), is surely one positive sign to point out.

Cincinnati has a slew of talented receivers at the disposal of Burrow, but the best of the bunch is indeed its rookie in Ja’Marr Chase. All the rookie has done is finish fourth in receiving yards in all of football, while also finishing third in the NFL with 13 receiving touchdowns.

In Las Vegas in Week 11, Chase did add the only touchdown reception, but he also only managed to make three catches for a meager 32 yards.

With COVID-19 and injuries ravaging this secondary for the Raiders, it has mostly stood its ground as of late. The latest meeting against the Chargers was an outlier, as quarterback Justin Herbert threw for nearly 400 yards, but this came on 64 passing attempts and a defense that spent way too much time on the field in that contest.

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Hayward for the better part of that game was exceptional. He will look to continue this run against one of the best in the game in Chase, and the veteran leader of this secondary will look to negate the deep play ability of one of the best in football.

Keep an eye on the Hayward-Chase matchup, this pairing could signify a win for the Raiders or the Bengals.