The Cincinnati Bengals (0-9) head to the East Bay to take on the Oakland Raiders (5-4) in Week 11 NFL action. The playoffs (and a possible division title) are on the line every week for the Raiders from here on out, so they cannot take any team lightly. Here’s my three keys to victory for the silver and black:

No Breakout Game for Rookie QB

After benching veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, the Bengals turned to Ryan Finley, their fourth-round draft pick out of NC State. Finley made his first career NFL start last weekend in Baltimore, completing 16 of his 30 passes for 167 yards, adding one touchdown and one interception in a 49-13 loss to the Ravens.

This certainly SHOULD be an advantage for Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, as Finley will likely have moments of confusion with exotic looks and tricky blitzes throughout the game.

What you don’t want is this to be the “coming out party” or “breakout game” for the rookie QB. An easy way to do that is to give him a ton of time in the pocket so he can comfortably scan the field, which will make just about any quarterback look elite (even a rookie). So, to keep that from happening, Oakland must do exactly what they did last Thursday against Philip Rivers… pressure, pressure, pressure.

The #Raiders pass rush was ALIVE on Thursday Night against the Chargers. I had to take a second look & dive into the film. #RaiderNation 🔊🔼 pic.twitter.com/PycYuyZv4V — Kris Wysong (@KrisWysong) November 13, 2019

Bottle Up Mixon

With A.J. Green out, the Bengals’ best offensive player is running back Joe Mixon. He’s been productive in 2019, but more so due to sheer volume than efficiency. He’s averaging just 3.3 yards per carry on the season, which is a big reason why Cincinnati is ranked 30th in rushing yards per attempt.

Defensively, the Raiders give up just 3.9 rushing yards per attempt, good for 7th best in the NFL.

So, the stats obviously suggest that this matchup heavily favors the Oakland Raiders.

Even if the run game isn’t working, the Bengals could still stick with it. Just last Sunday, Mixon totaled 30 rushes in their 36-point loss. It’ll be key for the Raiders to get this team in third-and-long situations frequently, so keeping Mixon bottled up must be on the agenda.

Jacobs + O-Line Domination

Personally, I think the Raiders have the very best offensive line in all of football. On top of that, they have a rookie running back in Josh Jacobs that is flat out the best skill position player on the field more times than not. That is a recipe for domination against the Bengals defense this Sunday, as they enter the game ranked DEAD LAST in rushing yards allowed per game (173.0).

It’s already a point of emphasis for head coach Jon Gruden to establish the run offensively, but the numbers suggest ole Chucky should pound the rock EARLY… and pound the rock OFTEN.

Also, if they can work play action off of that and give quarterback Derek Carr time in the pocket (like they have most of the season), then there’s no reason #4 can’t continue his resurgence with another strong outing.

PREDICTION

Raiders 34, Bengals 17