The Ravens and Bengals meet for the first time in 2022. The Bengals beat their AFC North rivals in both meetings last year after getting swept by them in 2020. The Ravens have home-field advantage and are favored, but they have critical injuries to navigate. So, where should you bet your money on the Sunday Night Football game? We’ll help guide you and offer our favorite pick.
Ravens vs. Bengals Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | +3.5 (-110) | +152 | O 47.5 (-110) |
| @ Ravens | -3.5 (-110) | -180 | U 47.5 (-110) |
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook as of 6:30 pm ET on Oct. 7.
Game Info
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 9
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- Location: M&T Bank Stadium
- TV: NBC
Ravens vs. Bengals Trends
- The Bengals opened at +158 on Caesars Sportsbook on Sunday night, dipped as low as +143 on Thursday, and sit at +152 as of Friday (10/7) night.
- The Bengals are 10-2 against the spread in their last 12 games.
- Cincinnati is 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 games versus an AFC opponent.
- The Bengals are 8-1 in their last nine games following an against-the-spread win.
- The Bengals are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven road games.
- The Ravens are 8-3 against the spread in their last 11 games following a straight-up loss.
Injuries for the Ravens are Alarming
The injury report for Baltimore is troubling. First, Rashod Bateman is out. He’s the most important absence. However, second, edge-rusher Justin Houston is also out, eliminating a player who can pressure Joe Burrow from the equation. Third, cornerback Marcus Peters is questionable with a quad issue that prompted him to downgrade from limited in Thursday’s practice to missing Friday’s practice. And Ronnie Stanley is questionable. The stud tackle hasn’t played yet this year after playing only seven games the prior two years.
Can Lamar Jackson elevate the remaining talent? Baltimore’s pass-catching corps isn’t stacked with the talent to paper over Bateman’s absence, and Cincinnati’s defense is legit. It’s a tall order, namely after Jackson struggled mightily against the Bengals last season. He completed under 50% of his passes with only one touchdown and took five sacks. Further, Jackson’s struggles last year were with a full cupboard that included Bateman, Marquise Brown, Mark Andrews, and this week’s underqualified No. 1 receiver, Devin Duvernay. Finally, Jackson is coming off his worst game of the season against the Bills, passing for only 144 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. So, he’s not coming into this game riding high.
Cincinnati’s Passing Attack Should Eat
According to Pro-Football-Reference, the Ravens have allowed the most passing yards per game (315.3). Meanwhile, the Bengals have deployed a pass-happy offense this season. In neutral game scripts, they’ve passed 95 times versus only 48 rushes by non-quarterbacks.
The Bengals scuffled when throwing the ball through the first two weeks. However, they’ve cleaned it up in the previous two weeks. Since Week 3, Burrow has passed for 562 yards and five touchdowns. Equally important, he’s thrown zero interceptions and taken just three sacks.
As a result, Cincinnati’s pass-first approach can yield positive results in a tasty matchup. In addition, it worked well last year against the Ravens.
In 2021, Burrow torched the Ravens for 941 yards, seven touchdowns, and only one interception. The Ravens aren’t as banged-up on defense as last year, but they haven’t succeeded in defending the pass this year. Therefore, Burrow can carve them up.
Ravens vs. Bengals Predictions
Frankly, I’m baffled by the Ravens being favored in this game. The Bengals had essentially a mini-bye after their Week 4 victory against the Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. Conversely, the Ravens had a heartbreaking loss against the Bills last week after flushing leading 20-3 with three minutes and 39 seconds left in the first half.
In addition to putting the tough loss at home behind them, they’ll have to navigate the injuries I discussed above. Unfortunately, Jackson and the offense won’t have it easy. While Burrow and his talented collection of skill-position players at his disposal get the headlines, the defense has been sharper than the offense this season. According to Football Outsiders, Cincinnati is seventh in total defense Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA).
The arrow is pointing up for the Bengals, and I expect them to win their third consecutive game against the Ravens. So, instead of taking the points, I’ll take the more inviting +152 moneyline. Further, I’m open to taking an alternate line up to CIN -2.5 if the price is tasty enough.
Pick: Bengals moneyline (+152) at Caesars Sportsbook
