The Cincinnati Bengals have not had the 2024 campaign they hoped for during the offseason. Cincinnati is 4-6 heading into Week 11 and their chances of making the playoffs in the AFC are hanging on by a thread. The Bengals have lost several one-score games, especially against top-flight competition like the Ravens and Chiefs. It is easy to imagine the Bengals being in a more advantageous situation. This can give Bengals fans some hope, but what they really want to see are some victories.

Cincinnati does not have have an easy matchup in Week 11. They face a strong Los Angeles Chargers squad that is surging under the leadership of first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh.

The Bengals are a more talented team than the Chargers on paper, but that hasn’t counted for much in 2024. It will be fascinating to see if Cincinnati’s desperation fuels them to play well on Sunday, or if it only makes matters worse by adding additional pressure.

Do the Bengals have what it takes to get the dub in a must-win situation? Or will the Chargers play spoiler and knock the Bengals out for good?

Below we will explore three bold Bengals predictions ahead of their Week 11 matchup against the Chargers on Sunday Night Football.

*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

Joe Burrow is never sacked by Chargers, has most efficient game of the season

Despite the ugly record, Joe Burrow is having an incredible 2024 campaign.

Burrow has thrown for 2,672 yards through 10 games with 24 touchdowns and only four interceptions. This has Burrow on pace for one of his best statistical seasons of his career on balance.

One of the best parts of Burrow’s game is his ability to elevate his game during huge moments. There have been bigger moments, but this one feels uniquely important to the 2024 Bengals.

I believe that Joe Burrow will play out of his mind and do everything he can to try and get a win for the Bengals in Week 11.

My prediction: Joe Burrow will have his most efficient game of the 2024 season against the Chargers. This is honestly an incredibly bold prediction, because Burrow has had some excellent games this season. Let’s measure by completion percentage, quarterback rating, and touchdown-to-interception ratio. For Burrow to have his best game of the season, he’ll need to beat 76.9% completion percentage, a quarterback rating of 137.0, and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of +5. If Burrow can make this happen, there’s almost no chance that the Bengals lose this game.

Bengals receiver Tee Higgins leads the team in receiving, doubles up Ja’Marr Chase

Tee Higgins is officially back for the Bengals.

Higgins has missed the last three games with a quad injury but will return for Week 11 against the Chargers.

The Bengals have gotten used to doing their best without Higgins in the lineup. They have done a good job with this, which is what makes getting Higgins back such great news. When opposing defenses have to defend against both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals become almost impossible to stop.

I believe that Cincinnati will go out of their way to feature Higgins in the gameplan this week.

My prediction: Tee Higgins will have a monster game as he returns to the lineup for the Bengals. Not only will he have an impressive performance, he will haul in twice as many receptions as leading receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

Bengals’ defense gets gashed by Chargers running game

The Bengals may have a problem if they cannot put a lid on the Chargers’ running game.

Cincinnati’s defense has not been good for the entire 2024 campaign. On balance they’ve been solid against the run, though they are one of the worst defenses in the NFL at preventing rushing first downs. In fact, only the Panthers and Commanders have allowed more rushing first downs so far this season.

When you pair this with a Chargers team that loves to run the football, you can probably see the problem.

My prediction: The Bengals will surrender at least 150 rushing yards to the Chargers on Sunday Night Football. Unfortunately, this will play right in LA’s strategy and limit the number of possessions for Cincinnati’s offense. If the Bengals are not able to stop the run, they will need to be incredibly efficient on offense to keep pace with the Chargers. This could be the most important matchup of strength on weakness in this game and most likely will decide the outcome.