This could be a make-or-break season for Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals, who have made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons but still haven't won a game in the postseason since January 1991. They own the longest active drought without a playoff win in the league (24 seasons and counting), and their seven-game postseason losing streak is one shy of the all-time record.
NFL picks and predictions Bengals vs. Raiders 2015: Experts favor Cincinnati on road
But don’t be surprised if the Raiders are able to protect their home turf and beat the Bengals in Week 1.
Before they can even break that streak, though, they have to earn a ticket to the playoffs, which won’t be an easy task in the tough AFC North. Three teams from the divisions made the postseason last year and we could easily see another dogfight in 2015 as well. Expect the Bengals to employ a more run-oriented attack this season, leaning heavily on running back Jeremy Hill. The second-year player had the most rushing yards in the NFL over the final nine weeks of the season last year (940) as a rookie, averaging 5.4 yards per carry in that span.
The Raiders enter this season with the more modest goal of putting together a winning season -- Oakland hasn't finished over .500 since 2002 -- or at the very least improving on their dismal 3-13 record from last year. They do have a promising young core of potential stars in quarterback Derek Carr, wide receiver Amari Cooper and linebacker Khalil Mack, but probably still are a couple years away from being a playoff team. Beating the Bengals on Sunday would be a strong statement, though, that they are ready to make some noise in the AFC West race.
The experts are mostly favoring the Bengals to go into Oakland and get a solid road win in Week 1. Over at CBS Sports, it’s a clean sweep for the Bengals. However, the Raiders are getting some love from a few of the experts at ESPN and our guys here at SB Nation. Five of the 13 pickers at ESPN took Oakland and two of our guys think the Raiders will roll at home.
| Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | Matt Ufford | PFT Commenter | OddsShark Computer | |
| CIN @ OAK | CIN | OAK | CIN | OAK | CIN | CIN | CIN | CIN |
See More:
