As injuries and defensive chaos threaten to sink the Cleveland Browns, the Cincinnati Bengals have emerged as the primary rival to the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North title. The Bengals have already won at Pittsburgh and were a missed field goal away from knocking off the Green Bay Packers. They head to Baltimore with a 4-2 record after beating Detroit last Sunday, with a chance to make a major statement in the conference. The Ravens dropped their opener in Las Vegas but have not lost since, rolling to a 5-1 record that includes a 34-6 demolition of the Los Angeles Chargers last week.
Don’t miss our NFL betting recommendations for this divisional showdown.
NFL Preview: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (Sunday, October 24)
When: Sunday, October 24, 2021, 1:00 pm ET
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
TV: CBS
Radio: WLW 700 AM Cincinnati / WBAL 1090 AM Baltimore
Live Stream: Hulu
NFL Odds: Baltimore -6.5 / O/U 46.5 // Cincinnati +230 / Baltimore -280
Why should you bet on the Bengals?
Cincinnati rolled Detroit on the road last week, 34-11. Joe Burrow went 19 of 29 for 271 yards and three scores, with four of those passes going to Ja’Marr Chase, who piled up 97 receiving yards. Tailback Joe Mixon carried the ball 18 times for 94 yards to give the offense some balance. Over the last three games, the Bengals have scored a combined 79 points.
Even so, some consistency issues have emerged for the Cincinnati offense. The team had three consecutive three-and-outs against a Detroit team that does not have much talent on defense. That inability to run a steadily dominant offense could come back to bite the Bengals against a Ravens team that likes to take the lead and then establish a grinding rhythm to throttle the life out of the opposition. If you like the Bengals, you see them bringing their fearless attitude to Baltimore — and you see the Ravens experiencing a bit of a letdown, expecting an easy win over the Bengals and resting on the laurels of their rout of the Chargers.
Why should you put your money on the Ravens?
The Ravens have played three complete games so far this season, in their wins over Kansas City, Denver and the Chargers. They escaped the Chiefs with a barrage of offense (and timely defense), and their wins over Detroit and Indianapolis relied on miraculous events, such as a 66-yard field goal at Ford Field and an epic collapse by the Colts that involved a blocked field goal and a missed field goal — and a collective collapse by the Indy defense.
It was the win over the Chargers that cemented the Ravens in place as an AFC contender. The Ravens scored in every quarter, and Lamar Jackson threw for 167 yards and a score. He also had two interceptions, but the Ravens’ defense absolutely shut down Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense. The Ravens have covered the spread in eight of their last nine games against division opponents — and in six of their last seven games against teams with a winning record. If you like the Ravens, you see their lock on divisional opponents remaining in place, and you see the inconsistencies in the Bengals’ offense gaining vivid exposure at the hands of that Baltimore defense.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
I think the Bengals will put up a fight in Baltimore, but the Ravens have too many weapons on offense right now to let the game get away from them. The Ravens’ defense should be able to pester Joe Burrow into enough mistakes for the Ravens to get the win. I predict a final score of Baltimore 31, Cincinnati 20. | Bet the Game Now!
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