The Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals will face off in Week 15 in an AFC North matchup on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium that could potentially decide the fate of the division.
The Bengals dominated the earlier matchup this season as they won on the road 41-17. Both teams are tied for the divisional lead with an 8-6 record, but the Bengals would hold the tiebreaker if they manage to win here.
Ravens at Bengals Betting Analysis
On the Baltimore Ravens side
The Baltimore Ravens are struggling offensively compared to past seasons as they are averaging 23.9 points per game. As of this writing, Lamar Jackson has yet to practice as he is still dealing with the ankle injury that made him miss most of the last two games.
However, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley proved the ability to win at the NFL level as he scored 30 points on the Packers last week, and two times analytical decisions, unfortunately, cost the Ravens games and put them in this situation.
The Ravens defense has been playing very well this season as they are currently allowing 22.5 points per game despite a bevy of injuries plaguing them. A major factor for the defensive success has been the fact that they are able to neutralize the opposing running game as teams are only running for 86.2 yards per game.
On the Cincinnati Bengals side
The Bengals have been one of the better offenses in the NFL as they are currently scoring 26.4 points per game, and Joe Burrow is eighth in terms of passing yards (3,640) and passing touchdowns (28). This offense has a lot of speed with Joe Mixon in the backfield and having guys like wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins out wide.
Chase has been a threat of finding the end zone as he already has 10 receiving touchdowns in his rookie year and has that chemistry built-in with his former LSU teammate in Burrow.
The defense of Cincinnati has actually been one of their biggest strengths on the season as they are giving up 21.6 points per game. They are able to limit the running game going on against them as they are allowing 95.9 rushing yards per game, but Baltimore ran for 116 yards in their previous meeting.
Defensive end Trey Henderson is finding the quarterback as he has 13 sacks this season, so teams are getting pressured against the Bengals.
Ravens at Bengals Prediction
The top sportsbooks across the United States are listing the Bengals being favored by a field goal in this home game, and I am going to jump on that.
The availability of Lamar Jackson concerns me as he was forced to miss last week’s action with his ankle injury and has not started thus far. Tyler Huntley played well, but now there is some tape on him, and that could slow him down if he has to start.
These offenses are not playing that similar as in their previous five games; the Ravens are scoring 20.6 points while the Bengals are averaging 26.6 points.
Go with the Cincinnati Bengals -3 to cover the spread.