Washington Football Team vs. Bengals Week 11 preview, score prediction

Score prediction

Can Washington beat the Bengals? Sure. They’re playing at home and have advantages in a couple of key areas that happen to be the Bengals’ biggest weaknesses. Will they be able to win? That’s less certain.

While Washington has some clear advantages, the Bengals do too. Notably, their offense is much farther ahead of Washington’s and if the Bengals come with a great defensive game plan or can force Alex Smith into some turnovers, that will be a massive problem for the squad. They’re not built to overcome turnovers or consistent three-and-outs, so the offense remains a big question.

The other question is about how focused Washington will be for this game. They’re still technically in the divisional race, but at this point, winning feels like a pipe dream. They’re 2-7 and the biggest game they have left on their schedule is against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

The Cowboys are having a horrible year and Washington could earn a season sweep if they defeat them at home on Thanksgiving. That would be a massive bright spot in a down year, and it would certainly be a sweet victory for Washington fans.

So, what does that have to do with this game? Washington may be looking ahead to the Cowboys. They play them just four days after the Bengals, so if they’re really focused on Dallas, they may overlook Cincinnati a bit. And given that the teams are close to even with the Bengals being more polished, that wouldn’t end well.

For that reason, I’m anticipating a Bengals win. I think Washington will contain Burrow enough but their offense won’t get things going enough to keep pace late. We’ll see what happens, but I see this being another loss.

Score Prediction: Bengals 23, Washington 19