Bengals and Raiders are trying to keep their seasons from slipping away

Las Vegas (2-6) at Cincinnati (3-5)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox

NFL Odds: Bengals by 7 1/2

Against the spread: Raiders 4-4, Bengals 4-4.

Series record: Raiders lead 21-13.

Last meeting: Bengals beat Raiders 26-19 on Jan. 15, 2022, in an AFC playoff game in Cincinnati.

Last week: Raiders lost to Chiefs 27-20, Bengals lost to Eagles 37-17.

Raiders offense: overall (21), rush (31), pass (18), scoring (26)

Raiders defense: overall (T11), rush (19), pass (7), scoring (27)

Bengals offense: overall (18), rush (28), pass (7), scoring (11)

Bengals defense: overall (24), rush (24), pass (21), scoring (23)

Turnover differential: Raiders: minus-13, Bengals: even

Raiders player to watch

RB Alexander Mattison comes off a poor performance, rushing for 15 yards on 14 carries against the Chiefs. His 1.1-yard average was the third worst for a back with at least 14 attempts in franchise history. Given the Bengals have had issues with stopping the run, this is a game where Mattison — and Zamir White — need to produce far better results.

Bengals players to watch

With the Bengals unable to run the ball, their offensive success depends on quarterback Joe Burrow more than ever. Cincinnati has the seventh-best passing game in the NFL. Burrow is among the league leaders in passing yards and completion rate (70.3%).

Key matchup

Bengals receivers against Raiders secondary. Burrow passed for 234 yards against the Eagles, distributing the ball to seven different receivers. That didn't include Tee Higgins, who was out with a quad injury. Ja'Marr Chase is the NFL's leading receiver with 674 yards and seven TDs. He's fourth in the league in receptions (48) and yards-after-catch (302). Raiders S Tre'von Moehrig leads the team with two interceptions.

Key injuries

Raiders C Andre James (ankle) might not be able to play. G Dylan Parham (foot) could return after not playing the past two games. ... Bengals WR Tee Higgins (quad) and OT Orlando Brown Jr. (knee) are day to day.

Series notes

The Bengals have won 5 of 6 in the series going back to 2012. ... The Bengals beat the Raiders twice in the 2021 season: 32-13 on Nov. 21, 2021, and 26-19 in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Jan. 15, 2022. ... The first game in the series was a Raiders 31-10 win on Oct. 27, 1968.

Stats and stuff

Raiders TE Brock Bowers leads the NFL with 52 receptions, the eighth time since 1953 that a tight end has led the league in that category through eight weeks and the first time since Philadelphia's Keith Jackson in 1988. That's also the highest total ever for a rookie tight end through that many games. .. DE Maxx Crosby has a quarterback pressure rate of 11.1%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, the lowest of his six-year career. Even so, he has 6 1/2 sacks, 36.8% of the team's total, which is the league's second highest. Crosby is 1 1/2 sacks from reaching 60 for his career, which would make him one of three Raiders to hit that mark since 1982. The others are Greg Townsend (107 1/2) and Howie Long (84). ... S Tre’von Moehrig has four tackles for loss and two interceptions, one of eight defensive backs in franchise history with those numbers. He's also the first since 2014. ... The Raiders have averaged 35.47 in penalty yardage since coach Antonio Pierce took over midway through last season, the league's lowest mark. ... The Bengals have struggled to run the ball. RBs Zack Moss and Chase Brown combined for 43 yards against the Eagles last week and 51 yards against the Browns the previous week. ... Chase leads the NFL with seven receiving touchdowns. ... Cincinnati LBs Germaine Pratt (80) and Logan Wilson (78) lead the Bengals in tackles. ... DE Trey Hendrickson is tied for fourth in the NFL with seven sacks.

Fantasy tip

Bengals TE Mike Gesicki had seven catches for 73 yards against the Eagles. He's third on the team in receiving behind Chase and Higgins.

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