The Las Vegas Raiders will be traveling to a hostile environment this weekend and facing a team that's as desperate for a win as they are.

The Silver and Black are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. While the defense has had their moments, the offensive side of the ball is still trying to gel – scoring under 20 points in three of their last four contests. The Cincinnati Bengals lost their first three games of the season, but have slowly picked things up as the season progresses. However, they're coming off a 37-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, dropping them to 3-5.

"[W]e got to look at it like they look at us at 2-6," Antonio Pierce said Wednesday on the incoming battle. "But our records both could be flipped. The game could have went a lot of ways in both of our games, but our record is what it is, and somebody has to win this game, right? And we need to win more importantly, and that's all we're worried about."

Here are three key matchups to look at heading into the Week 9 contest in Ohio.

Maxx Crosby vs. Joe Burrow

There's currently eight players on the active roster that were on the team in 2021 that suffered a 26-19 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Maxx Crosby, the defensive anchor for the Raiders, is one of those eight who haven't forgotten.

In that contest, Crosby sacked Joe Burrow once plus notched two quarterback hits and two tackles for loss. However, the Bengals quarterback had the last laugh, with 244 passing yards, two touchdowns and his franchise's first playoff victory in 20 years. As Crosby returns to Paycor Stadium for the first time since that game, he'll have some demons to exercise.

Burrow is ranked top five in the league in pass completions (185), completion percentage (70.3), passing touchdowns (15) and passer rating (75.4). With improved offensive line play and several weapons at receiver, Burrow is on track to have one his best seasons even though his team currently has a 3-5 record.

"He doesn't flinch," Pierce said of Burrow. "I mean, he sees it. If he sees single high, that ball is going to the outside, right? He sees the two high safety; he makes the correct throw and throws a checkdown and gets the ball in the middle of the field. But more importantly, I think what shocked me is his athleticism. I saw that the other day from the Giants game, a 50-yard touchdown outrunning a linebacker, Isaiah Simmons, who runs a 4.3. Competitive, tough, smart, you can see even battling all the injuries, man. Everything's rallied around this player, and he's a special player. So, we've got to disrupt him, get him uncomfortable, and obviously not allow him to have easy targets."

Crosby, like the Bengals quarterback, is having one of his best seasons despite it not showing up consistently in the win column. The defensive end is ranked top 10 in the league in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (10). Additionally, he has the second-best edge run stop win rate (37 percent) and ninth-best edge pass rush win rate (22 percent) in the league, according to ESPN.

Burrow has a 59.6 completion percentage under pressure, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, the fourth-best of any quarterback in the league with at least 70 dropbacks. Therefore, Crosby and the rest of the defense will need to play fast and fundamentally sound this Sunday.

Jakorian Bennett vs. Ja'Marr Chase

While on the topic of Burrow's success, Ja'Marr Chase is a huge factor behind it.

Chase has been teammates with Burrow for six years dating back to college at LSU, with their chemistry is shining through on a weekly basis. The Bengals receiver is leading the league in receiving yards (674) and receiving touchdowns (seven) with his blazing speed and reliable hands. He's posted a career-high 81.4 catching percentage through eight games this season while recording a top speed over 20 miles per hour on three of his catches.

"Ja'Marr Chase, man, is elite," Pierce said. "I mean, he's one-of-one right now. You watch him after the catch; physicality, speed, acceleration, catch radius. I mean, I could go on and on. Obviously, one of the top receivers in the league."

If the Raiders want to go speed for speed with Chase, second-year cornerback Jakorian Bennett seems to be the man for the job.

Bennett leads the team in pass deflections (seven) while allowing a 48.7 completion percentage and 64.9 passer rating in coverage. Additionally, he hasn't allowed a touchdown in coverage on the season, making him a prime candidate to line up against the man that leads the league in that category.

"We got to do a good job, first and foremost, when they catch the ball because they're going to catch balls. We've got to tackle and get them on the ground," Pierce said of attacking the Bengals' receiving corps. "And then when we have opportunities, because there is opportunities to make plays on the ball, we have to make those plays."

Jakobi Meyers vs. Cam Taylor-Britt

After missing two games with an ankle injury, Jakobi Meyers came back in a big way in Week 8.

The Raiders veteran receiver recorded a team-high six receptions against the Kansas City Chiefs, along with 52 yards and a touchdown – his second this season, which leads the team. With Brock Bowers holding the No. 1 spot in the league in receptions (52), Meyers gives Gardner Minshew II another top target to look for down the field and also takes pressure off the rookie tight end.

"I think it's really the details, we kind of focus on the details early and we play hard together early," Meyers said postgame. "So if we can just sustain that for the whole game, it just be little things that end up losing us the game. I think individually everyone just has to focus on their job. I know I made some mistakes that probably put the team in a bad spot. Just speaking for me, I know I'm going to go in there and watch the film and make sure it doesn't happen again."

He'll likely be matched up across from Cam Taylor-Britt, who provides the spark for the Bengals secondary. The third-year cornerback from Nebraska leads his team in pass deflections (eight) and is third on the team in solo tackles (32).