Carson Palmer Oakland
The Oakland Raiders may not have a suitable replacement for Carson Palmer on the roster. Reuters

The 5-5 Cincinnati Bengals are in the thick of the AFC Wild Card race as they take on the Oakland Raiders at Paul Brown Stadium.

The Bengals have won two straight by outscoring opponents 59-19, and dropped the Kansas City Chiefs 28-6 last week.

A.J. Green and Andy Dalton are quickly becoming the next great receiver-quarterback duo. Dalton went 18-for-39 for 230 yards and two scores, and Green had six catches for 91 yards and a score.

Green is now ninth in the NFL in receiving yards with 911 on 64 catches, and tied for first with 10 touchdown receptions.

Oakland quarterback Carson Palmer will return to Cincinnati for the first time since he was traded last season, and with the Raiders on a three-game slide.

Palmer leads the seventh best passing attack in the NFL, but the Raiders failed to put much on the scoreboard in their 38-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints last week.

Palmer went 22-for-40 for 312 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and full back Marcel Reese had a breakthrough game with a career-high 103 rushing yards on 19 carries.

Oakland turned to Reece with their three running backs sidelined, and he may carry the same load again this week with Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson ruled out for Sunday against the Bengals.

The Raiders will also miss defensive tackle Richard Seymour for the second straight game.

The game begins at 1 p.m. EDT and will be shown by CBS, or watch a live stream online by purchasing NFL Sunday Ticket Max.

Betting Odds: Cincinnati is favored by 9 points

Over/Under: 51 points

Prediction: Palmer's return will be a success for the Raiders, as the Bengals have failed to show any signs of consistency this season. Oakland should win in a tight matchup.

Predicted Score: Oakland 30, Cincinnati 27

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