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The Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens will clash in an early AFC North showdown. The Bengals are looking to rebound from an ugly season-opening loss to Cleveland, while the Ravens are seeking to continue their winning ways after disposing of Houston in Week 1.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens – game predictions
Contents
The Bengals are a 3.5-point home favorite with a total of 46.5 points. Cincinnati opened as a three-point favorite but has since moved up, which means they’d need to win by at least four points.
Prediction 1: Bengals -3.5 @ -105 (1.95)
The Ravens were competitive against the Bengals in two games last season in which Jackson did not suit up, and beat their AFC North rivals in the contest that the former league MVP did play. Baltimore dominated Houston last Sunday but will square off against a much better squad this week. Meanwhile, Cincinnati opened the season with a clunker in a wet-soaked disaster in Cleveland. The Bengals went 7-3-1 ATS as 3.5-point favorites or more last season, and fifth-year head coach Zac Taylor ranks third among active coaches with a 60 cover percentage (48-28-2). But Cincinnati has offensive line and secondary issues and will come up short in an exciting nail-biter.
Prediction 2: Joe Burrow Under 266.5 Passing Yards @ -115 (1.87)
Burrow failed to eclipse 220 passing yards in three outings against the Ravens last season. However, he did throw for more than 266.5 yards in nine of 16 regular season games a year ago. The Ravens shut down the Texans running game in Week 1, which forced rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud to throw the ball 44 times. Burrow surpassed 300 passing yards in three of four games last season when attempting 40-plus passes. Baltimore is stout against the run but has a banged-up secondary, so Burrow should air it out for over 270 yards in this one.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens – Can the Bengals stop the run?
The Browns tallied 206 rushing yards against the Bengals in Week 1 and averaged a robust 5.2 yards per rush on 40 carries. Cincinnati’s run defense is ranked 31st in the league and will be tested by the Raven’s 11th-ranked rushing attack.
Cincinnati Bengals form, news and injuries
The Bengals offense struggled mightily in the rain last week, posting just 142 yards of total offense in an ugly loss to the Ravens. Cincinnati punted 10 times, and Joe Burrow was limited to 82 passing yards. Defensively, linebacker Germaine Pratt registered 11 tackles, a sack, and forced a fumble, while safety Dax Hill notched his first career interception.
Cincinnati Bengals injury report
• RB Chris Evans (Hamstring) – Questionable
• DE Cam Sample (Ankle) – Questionable
• LB Markus Bailey (Knee) – Questionable
• DE Joseph Ossai (Ankle) – Questionable
Baltimore Ravens form, news and injuries
The Ravens’ new-look offense turned in a dud with only two drives longer than 26 yards. Veteran running back Melvin Gordon was added from the practice squad to replace J.K. Dobbins, who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. Safety Marcus Williams will also miss significant time with a pectoral injury. Rookie receiver Zay Flowers caught a team-high nine receptions in his NFL debut.
Baltimore Ravens injury report
• S Marcus Williams (Pectoral) – Out
• T Ronnie Stanley (Knee) – Questionable
• C Tyler Linderbaum (Ankle) – Questionable
• CB Marlon Humphrey (Foot) – Questionable
• TE Mark Andrews (Quad) – Questionable
Bengals vs Ravens head to head record
The Ravens lead the all-time series, 28-27, but have lost four of the last five meetings:
• 2023: Bengals won 24-17 in Cincinnati
• 2023: Bengals won 27-16 in Cincinnati
• 2022: Ravens won 19-17 in Baltimore
• 2021: Bengals won 41-21 in Cincinnati
• 2021: Bengals won 41-17 in Baltimore
Key match details
• Date & Time: Sunday, September 17, 2023, 01:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Where to watch match in UK: Sky Sports (TV), fuboTV, or other live stream
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