Commanders vs. Bengals where to watch: TV channel, kickoff time, NFL live stream, spread, odds, prediction |Max Sporty|

Two LSU legends face off on “Monday Night Football,” as Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals host Jayden Daniels’ Washington Commanders. This is only the second quarterback matchup ever between Heisman Trophy winners from the same school, as both signal-callers once ran things in Baton Rouge.

The rookie Daniels won his first NFL win last week against the New York Giants, and completed 23 of 29 passes for 226 yards while new Commanders kicker Austin Seibert converted on all seven of his field goal attempts. As for the Bengals, they are off to an 0-2 start for the third straight season, with their most recent loss coming to the Kansas City Chiefs by a single point after an unfortunate pass interference call on the final drive.

Can Daniels score an upset win on a national stage? Or is this where Burrow and the Bengals get back on track? Below, we’ll break down this Week 3 interconference showdown. First, here’s how you can watch the game:

How to look

Date: Monday, September 23 | Time: 8:15 pm ET
Location: Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati)
Channel: ABC | Stream: fubo (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Probability: Bengal -7.5 O/U 47

Everyone NFL odds is via SportsLine Consensus.

Trends

• All-time series is tied 5-5-1
• Washington won the most recent matchup against Cincinnati, 20-9. Joe Burrow tore his ACL and MCL in that game
• Rookie Starting quarterbacks are 13-4-1 against the spread in prime time since 2022
• Commanders are 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three Monday games

Injury report

Washington will be without their sack leader, as Ferrell has been ruled out with a knee injury. In fact, he is the only Commander to record a sack this year. Forbes is surprisingly listed as questionable with his thumb injury. Coach Dan Quinn said they will wait until Monday to make a final decision, but next week could be when he suits up.

The big news for the Bengals is that wide receiver Tee Higgins is not listed on their final injury report, so he will make his debut in 2024 after missing the first two games with a hamstring injury. Tight end Mike Gesicki also did not receive a game name after being limited earlier in the week with a calf injury. According to The AthleticJenkins Jr. (thumb) will play with a coil on his hand, and they will check how he does.

When the Commanders have the ball

Move over Caleb Williams and Bo Nix, it’s Daniels, who has been the best rookie quarterback for two weeks. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to complete 75% of his passes, rush for 100 yards and throw zero interceptions in a two-game span. Washington statistically has the number 10 offense in the NFL (362 yards per game), but that doesn’t mean all their big names are eating.

Many expected Terry McLaurin to reach his ceiling as a star receiver with Daniels now under center, but he caught just eight passes for 39 yards. We’ll see if he can take off under the lights Monday night, but Washington’s sights in this matchup may be set on the ground game. Daniels’ legs are special – when it comes to both moving the chains and escaping pressure in the pocket. The rookie is averaging 66 rushing yards per game, which ranked No. 18 in the NFL entering Week 3. Lamar Jackson is the only quarterback averaging more.

Daniels’ 132 rushing yards are the fifth most by a quarterback in his first two career starts since 1970. The Bengals had the seventh-worst run defense through two weeks – and injuries on the interior didn’t help them. That means Brian Robinson Jr., who is coming off a career performance against the Giants with 133 rushing yards, and Daniels as a running back could highlight Washington’s plan of attack.

Daniels’ dual-threat ability is a way to keep defenses on edge, but so is the tempo. And that’s something new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury emphasized. Washington has run 63 shutout games, which is the most in the NFL. They ran no-huddle 37 times last week against the Giants, which is the most no-huddle games recorded by any team over the last two seasons. Kingsbury is clearly trying to keep defenses on their toes, and looking at our limited sample size, it’s working. Washington averaged 6.4 yards per play without a carry, and 5.1 yards per play without. You see it often with college offenses, but no-huddle, up-tempo systems wear down defenses and help create mismatches. That is, if executed correctly.

When the Bengals have the ball

Bengals fans view Week 3 as the “tipping point.” If this is indeed where Cincinnati gets back on its horse, it should be because of the passing game. The Commanders have a bottom 10 pass defense that Burrow will need to exploit.

In Week 1, Washington allowed Baker Mayfield to complete 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. It was essentially a perfect game, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put up 37 points and punted just once. In Week 2, Giants rookie wideout Malik Nabers caught 10 of 18 targets for 127 yards and a touchdown against Washington. Imagine what this more versatile Bengals passing attack can accomplish.

Higgins will make his debut in 2024, and he has his sights set on that next big contract. Ja’Marr Chase is averaging just 48.5 receiving yards through two weeks and has yet to catch a touchdown, but you should expect his production to pick up on Monday night. This is the first time Cincinnati will have its full arsenal ready.

It’s not just about the receivers though. Gesicki was Burrow’s go-to weapon last week as he caught seven of nine targets for 91 yards against the Chiefs. In fact, Burrow had a career-high 151 passing yards targeting tight ends last week. Is that what we see more of in Week 3?

Prediction

The Bengals are hungry for that first win, and they have a chance to secure it in front of their home fans in prime time. Despite the loss to Kansas City last week, you have to be encouraged with the improvements Cincinnati made from Week 1 to Week 2. The Commanders do have the potential to be this combative squad with a versatile quarterback that adds a whole different element to the game. , but I’ll take the Bengals to bounce back here.

As for the spread, that’s another question entirely. The 7.5 points is a lot to lay down, and you hate the thought of being caught off the hook with a backdoor cover. But the Bengals are 6-1 ATS in their last seven home overtime games.

Projected score: Bengal 27-17 over Commanders

Larry Hartstein, who is on a 30-13-1 ATS roll in Commanders games, has released his best bets for the Week 3 Commanders vs. Bengals matchup. We can tell you he’s leaning over the point total, but who does he have covering the spread? You can check that here.