How to watch and stream Bengals vs. Rams in NFL Week 3

Monday Night Football is returning the banks of the Ohio River as the Cincinnati Bengals face off against the Los Angeles Rams. What looked to be just a recent Super Bowl rematch in the offseason has turned into something much more significant game now that the chaos of the season has started to unfold. The […]

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer

Sep 22, 2023 11:06 AM EDT

Monday Night Football is returning the banks of the Ohio River as the Cincinnati Bengals face off against the Los Angeles Rams.

What looked to be just a recent Super Bowl rematch in the offseason has turned into something much more significant game now that the chaos of the season has started to unfold. The Bengals are looking to win their first game of the year, and may have to do it without their quarterback.

You want drama? This game will have it in spades. Here's what you need to know before tuning in.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) vs Los Angeles Rams (1-1)

Date: Monday, September 25
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH
Betting odds: Bengals -3, Over/Under 43.5
How to watch on TV: ESPN/WLWT Channel 5 (Cincinnati)
Streaming: Watch ESPN, ESPN+, NFL Sunday Ticket, Game Pass International
Radio: WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (1530) and WEBN-FM.(102.7) Bengals Radio (ESPN1530, 102.7 FM WEBN, 700WLW), Sirius XM, ESPN

All or Nothing

No one in Cincinnati could've predicted the season being on the line in Week 3, but this is where things are at. The Bengals are trying to avoid a death sentence of an 0-3 start. They're also balancing the short-term risk of not having Joe Burrow play quarterback with the long-term risk of seeing him re-injure his calf. A decision on Burrow may not be reached until after the team's final practice on Saturday. It could ultimately decide how the season will go from here.

3 Bengals players to watch

QB Jake Browning: If Burrow can't suit up, or gets injured again while playing, Browning is the next (and only) man up. The Bengals currently don't have a third quarterback in the building now that Will Grier signed with the New England Patriots. Browning has been in the system for two years now, and earned the backup job over veteran Trevor Siemian. This would be his first-ever regular season game; he couldn't have picked a bigger stage than a must-win game in primetime.
RG Alex Cappa: The Bengals lost to the Rams in the Super Bowl two years back partly because they couldn't block Aaron Donald for all four quarters. Cappa was signed a month later in free agency, and that wasn't entirely a coincidence. Donald is a total mismatch for all but a few guards, so Cappa will still have his hands full whenever the future Hall of Fame pass rusher lines up against him. He's their best shot at keeping him from disrupting the pocket all night.
ED Joseph Ossai: It's not official yet, but this should be Ossai's first game back since spraining his ankle in the preseason finale a few weeks ago. Ossai finished the 2022 season as the Bengals' third-best pass rusher by most metrics and has a great chance of elevating into the top two this season. It starts with what hopes to be a solid debut against the Rams' offensive line that ranks 29th in pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.