Two LSU legends face off on “Monday Night Football,” as Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals host Jayden Daniels’ Washington Commanders. This is just the second quarterback matchup all time between Heisman Trophy winners from the same school, as both signal-callers once ran things in Baton Rouge.
The rookie Daniels scored his first NFL victory 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 have started 0-2 for the third consecutive 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 victory on a national stage? Or is this where Burrow and the Bengals get back on track? Below, we will break down this Week 3 interconference showdown. First, here’s how you can watch the game:
How to watch
Date: Monday, Sep. 23 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati)
Channel: ABC | Stream: fubo (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Bengals -7.5 O/U 47
All NFL odds are via SportsLine Consensus.
Trends
All-time series is tied 5-5-1
Washington won the most recent matchup vs. 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
Commanders: DE Clelin Ferrell (knee) OUT; CB Emmanuel Forbes (thumb) QUESTIONABLE
Bengals: TE Tanner Hudson (knee), DT Sheldon Rankins (hamstring) OUT; DT B.J. Hill (hamstring) DOUBTFUL; S Vonn Bell (back), DT Kris Jenkins Jr. (thumb) QUESTIONABLE
Washington will be without its sack leader, as Ferrell has been ruled out with a knee injury. In fact, he’s the only Commander who has recorded 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 may 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 2024 debut after missing the the first two games with a hamstring injury. Tight end Mike Gesicki was not given a game designation either after being limited earlier in the week with a calf injury. According to The Athletic, Jenkins Jr. (thumb) will play with a wrap on his hand, and they’ll monitor how he does.
When the Commanders have the ball
Move over Caleb Williams and Bo Nix, it’s Daniels that has been the best rookie quarterback through two weeks. He’s 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 No. 10 offense in the NFL (362 yards per game), but that doesn’t mean all of their big names are eating.
Many expected Terry McLaurin to reach his ceiling as a star receiver with Daniels now under center, but he’s 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 that averages more.
Daniels’ 132 rushing yards are the fifth-most recorded by a quarterback in their first two career starts since 1970. The Bengals had the seventh-worst run defense through two weeks — and injuries on the interior have not helped them. That means Brian Robinson Jr., who is coming off of a career performance vs. the Giants with 133 rushing yards, and Daniels as a runner could headline Washington’s plan of attack.
Daniels’ dual-threat ability is a way to keep defenses on edge, but so is tempo. And that’s something new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has put an emphasis on. Washington has run 63 no-huddle plays, which are the most in the NFL. They ran no-huddle 37 times last week against the Giants, which are the most no-huddle plays recorded by any team over the last two seasons. Kingsbury is clearly trying to keep defenses on their toes, and in looking at our limited sample size, it’s working. Washington has averaged 6.4 yards per play going no-huddle, 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 are eyeing Week 3 as the “turnaround spot.” 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, which 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 basically 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 vs. Washington. Imagine what this more versatile Bengals passing attack can accomplish.
Higgins will be making his 2024 debut, and he has his eyes set on that next big contract. Ja’Marr Chase is averaging just 48.5 receiving yards through two weeks and hasn’t yet caught 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 at the 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 vs. the Chiefs. In fact, Burrow had a career-high 151 passing yards targeting tight ends last week. Is that something 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 feisty squad with a versatile quarterback that adds an entirely different element to the game, but I’ll take the Bengals to rebound here.
As for the spread, that’s an entirely different question. The 7.5 points are a lot to lay, and you hate the thought of getting caught by the hook with a backdoor cover. But the Bengals are 6-1 ATS in their last seven home prime-time games.
Projected score: Bengals 27-17 over Commanders
Larry Hartstein, who is on a 30-13-1 ATS roll on 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 out here.
