Week 10 of the NFL kicks off when the Cincinnati Bengals travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. This game will be critical in the push for playoff position. Will the Bengals get the upset win, or will the Ravens continue to roll? Here’s our preview, which includes a prediction, using the best NFL odds from the top sportsbooks.
NFL Pick: Bengals +6 (-110) at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Bengals vs. Ravens
Thursday, November 07, 2024 – 08:15 PM ET at M&T Bank Stadium
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have won three of their last four games and are coming off a 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bengals are only 4-5 this year so every game is crucial if this team wants to make the playoffs. Now they face their division rival who’s playing some of the best football in the NFL right now.
The Bengals will continue to attack through the air as Joe Burrow had his second game throwing for five touchdowns this season. Chase Brown is taking over at running back and provided a career-high 120 yards against the Raiders this week.
The Bengals will be looking for another big game from defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who had four sacks and seven quarterback hits in the win over the Raiders. However, taking down mobile quarterback Lamar Jackson will be a much tougher task than sacking Raiders QB Gardner Minshew.
The Bengals will need to be excellent in all phases of the game in this matchup against the Ravens. Beating the Raiders is one thing; to beat the Ravens is going to take a real concerted effort.
The Bengals are 7th in the league in passing yards with 249.3 yards per game and 7th in the league in points scored at 26.2 points per game. Unfortunately, they are 25th in the league in points allowed at 25.2. The Bengals rely on offense to get it done and their weak defense leaves them vulnerable against the top teams in the NFL.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are coming off a huge 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos. The Ravens have won six of their last seven games including a 41-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati. The Ravens will try to sweep their season series against their division rivals in this crucial Thursday night matchup.
The Ravens will look to have success on the ground. This season they are first in the league in rushing yards at 191.9 yards per game and second in the league at 31.4 points per game. The Bengals rank 27th in rushing yards allowed so this should be a good matchup for Baltimore to try to exploit.
The combination of QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry has proved to be every bit as successful as Ravens’ fans hoped. This Ravens team can eat you up on the ground, and the Bengals are going to need to make a concerted effort in order to avoid the Ravens rushing all over them. The two-headed attack of Jackson and Henry has been too much for most teams to handle this season.
Key Matchup
The Bengals are going to have to find some way to stop the run, something they have not been able to do so far this season. Baltimore had 175 rushing yards in the first matchup between these teams and averaged 5.1 yards per rush. However, the Bengals are healthier in this game and will have more depth at the defensive line position.
The Bengals will need to look at the tape from their first game and figure out what they can do to stop the Ravens rushing attack. If the Bengals are able to slow down the Ravens on the ground, they have the potential to win another shootout against the Ravens. If the Ravens are allowed to chew up the clock and move the ball effectively on the ground, it will probably be too much for the Cincinnati Bengals to handle.
NFL Pick
This line of six points is too much for two evenly matched teams. Even though the Baltimore Ravens are the better team, in these division games anything can happen. Six points is simply too much for a Cincinnati team that should have got the win the first time these two teams faced off.
This game will probably come down to a field goal again and the six points is too much to pass up. Take the Cincinnati Bengals +6 in a fun Thursday night showdown.
NFL Pick: Bengals +6 (-110) at Bet365
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