The 2020 NFL season is here, and there is a full slate of games this weekend. The Los Angeles Chargers will head to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals for a Week 1 matchup.
Both the Chargers and Bengals will be looking for much better seasons in 2020 as each team missed out on the playoffs a year ago. The Chargers have a veteran team, while the Bengals are going through a bit of a rebuild.
The Los Angeles Chargers went just 5-11 a season ago to finish in last place in the AFC West. Cincinnati went only 2-14 in 2019, which earned them the top overall draft pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the Chargers as three-point road favorites on Sunday.
Life After Rivers Begins For LA
The Los Angeles Chargers will enter the 2020 season without quarterback Phillip Rivers after he has moved on to Indianapolis. Chargers was extremely successful in his Chargers career, and his absence leaves a huge void.
Tyrod Taylor will start under center for the Chargers in Week 1, and Taylor has thrown 54 touchdowns to just 20 interceptions in his career. The Chargers averaged close to 280 passing yards per game a season ago, but it’s unclear how their passing game will fare without Rivers.
The Chargers should be one of the better defenses in the NFL this season, and their defense will need to show up in this game. Los Angeles gave up 21.6 points per game in 2019, but there are some stars on that side of the ball.
Joey Bosa led the Chargers with 11.5 sacks a season ago, and he will make life difficult on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Burrow Time in Cincy
The Cincinnati Bengals selected quarterback Joe Burrow with the number 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and he will be under center in Week 1. Burrow put together a historic and record-breaking season at LSU a season ago in leading the Tigers to a National Championship.
Cincinnati scored just 17.3 points per game a season ago, which was right near the bottom of the league. Even if Burrow can play well, this roster is still filled with several holes.
The Bengals averaged just 94.8 rushing yards per game in 2019, and that is another area of the team that needs to improve. Running back Joe Mixon did run for more than 1,100 yards, but he needs some help in the rushing department.
The defense should be much improved this season, and having a solid offense will help out tremendously. The Bengals did allow more than 26 points per game in 2019, but their offense often put them in some bad positions.
Chargers Spoil Burrow’s Debut
There is plenty of hype surrounding this game, and most experts believe that Burrow will have a terrific career in the NFL. Even the best quarterbacks go through some growing pains in their rookie season, and the same will likely happen for Burrow.
The Chargers were a very underrated defense a season ago, and they will not make life easy on the Heisman Trophy winner. If Los Angeles can find some offense, then this team could be a playoff contender.
Look for this to be a sloppy game at times, but the Los Angeles Chargers have more talent on offense. Los Angeles will find just enough offense to sneak by the Bengals and ruin the debut for Joe Burrow.
Head to FanDuel Sportsbook and take the Los Angeles Chargers -3.0 over the Cincinnati Bengals.
