Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Chargers in NFL Week 13: Everything to know

Six games remain for the surging Cincinnati Bengals as a return to the playoffs is upon them for the first time in six years.

Not only was 2015 the last time the franchise clinched a playoff birth, it was the last time they won three-straight games in a single season. They can’t yet lock in a spot in the postseason, but they can notch a three-game winning streak if they take down the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.

This matchup kicked off the Joe Burrow era last year. Burrow and the Bengals’ offense struggled against a Chargers’ defense that easily pressured him. Tyrod Taylor got the W for L.A., but it’s been Justin Herbert’s team ever since then. This is the first of many matchups between the two golden boys of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Burrow and Herbert are commanding very different offenses, but that’s not stopped them from having similar production through 12 weeks. Burrow has the edge in completion percentage (69.3%) and yards per attempt (8.1), but Herbert’s got him in EPA per play (0.186) and touchdowns (24). Each second-year passer is playing at a top-10 level.

The quarterback matchup is the headliner, but the running game is reigning supreme in Cincinnati. Joe Mixon is spearheading the ground attack with a Pro Bowl campaign of his own, and with rain in Sunday’s forecast, don’t expect Mixon’s usage to drop now.

This is a huge weekend for the Bengals. For all the latest news, updates, and analysis of the game, bookmark this story stream!