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Ravens at Bengals NFL Odds & Betting Lines

Written by Steve Janus

The Baltimore Ravens try to gain some ground on the Pittsburgh Steelers this week in the AFC North. The Steelers play at New England while the Ravens play at Cincinnati. It might seem like the perfect spot for the Ravens to pick up a win, but this could be a dangerous game for Baltimore. The Bengals have looked awful at times this year and their 1-9-1 record proves that, but what the record doesn’t show is that Cincy has actually been competitive as of late. Cincinnati has also beat Baltimore at Cincinnati that last 3 times they’ve met and the Ravens are on an 0-8 run against the spread on the road right now. The Ravens are 7 point favorites over the Bengals and the total is set at 36 points.

The Ravens have been effective on offense this season, especially running the ball. 144 of their 312 yards per game come from running the ball, which suits the team just fine. The offense knows that the defense will almost always have their back, so they are comfortable running the ball 40 times a game and letting the clock wind down in their favor. The Ravens hold on to the ball an impressive 33:42 per game, a credit to the entire offense, especially with a rookie quarterback still learning the ins and outs of clock management in the NFL.

Defense has almost always been a strength for the Baltimore Ravens and this season is no exception. They are allowing just 17 points per game on a total of 262 yards of total offense per game. Baltimore’s run defense continues to be legendary, allowing just 80 yards on the ground per game. The pass defense has been very strong this year as well, allowing merely 182 yards through the air per game. There’s really nothing this defense doesn’t excel at. Cincinnati will need to catch them on a very “off” day if they are going to have any chance to move the ball. The Ravens are 7 point favorites this week.

A short few years ago the Bengals had one of the most feared offensive units in the NFL, now they have one of the least productive squads in the league. Cincinnati is scoring only 13.5 points per game and they are gaining only 239 yards of total offense. Just 80 of the total yards come from the running game and only 160 yards come from the passing game. There just isn’t anything going right for the Bengals on the offensive side of the ball. They’ll face one of the best defenses in the league this week, which does not bode well for a team that’s already struggled so much to produce yards and points.

Cincinnati hasn’t been terrible on defense, but they certainly haven’t been good. They are allowing 25 points per game on 341 yards of total offense, which simply isn’t good enough to win many games in the NFL, especially when your offense is struggling like the Bengals’ is. The only bright spot appears to be the passing defense, which is allowing just 211 yards per game, but that might be a little misleading as teams seem to make up for those lost yards in the running game where the Bengals are giving up 130 yards per game on 4.1 yards per carry. Cincinnati is a 7 point underdog at home Sunday.

The Ravens could really use a win this week over the struggling Bengals. This is a decent rivalry, however, and the Bengals have been playing better of late. There’s little question that the Ravens are the better team, but anything can happen on Sunday, especially when you are playing on the road in the NFL.

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