The Cincinnati Bengals take on the Baltimore Ravens in a divisional clash between AFC North teams on October 13, 2019, at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
The Cincinnati Bengals head to Baltimore with a winless 0-5 record on the season. The Bengals haven’t bee that bad this season, it’s just that they couldn’t seem to close out games. Cincinnati’s road losses to the Seahawks and the Bills plus their home loss to the Cardinals last week have come by a combined margin of 8 points with two of those three games decided in the final two minutes of play.
In their last game, the Bengals lost at home to the Arizona Cardinals 23-26. Andy Dalton played a good game, going 27-38 for 262 passing yards and two touchdowns. In that game, Tyler Boyd had 123 receiving yards on 10 catches but it was their defense which allowed Arizona a total of 514 yards from scrimmage that failed them.
Cincinnati is 29th in the league in scoring at 16.0 points per game. The Bengals are ranked 9th with an average of 258.0 passing yards per game. However, they are only 31st in rushing with an average of 61.2 rushing yards per game. The Bengals are conceding an average of 27.2 points per game this season.
The Baltimore Ravens looked like Super Bowl contenders after two games but that quickly changed after back to back losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns. Baltimore rebounded in Week 5 after posting a 26-23 win on the road against the tough Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens head to this divisional matchup as the NFL betting favorites and are looking to go two games over the .500 mark for the second time this season.
In their last game, quarterback Lamar Jackson struggled for the third straight game. Jackson went 19-28 for a total of 161 yards with only one touchdown and three interceptions. After a fast start, Jackson’s passing numbers have gone down game after game. Mark Ingram carried a big load with 19 carries for 44 yards with one touchdown.
The Ravens are the top-scoring team in the NFL right now with their 32.2 points per game scoring average. Baltimore ranks 2nd in rushing yards with an average of 192.2 per outing. The Ravens are 13th in passing with an average of 249.2 passing yards per game and they are allowing their opponents to score 24.2 points per game this season.
Who Wins?
Cincinnati is 0-7 SU in their last seven games played, including 0-5 SU this season. The Bengals are 0-8 SU in their last eight games played on the road. Baltimore is 9-4 SU in their last 13 games played. The Ravens are 2-4 SU in their last six Week 6 games played and 4-13 SU in their last 17 games played in October. Head to head, the Bengals are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played.
The Ravens opened the season strong and Lamar Jackson looked like an early MVP candidate after two games but that talk has since subsided as the Ravens are just 1-2 SU in their last three games played. Not only has he seen his passing numbers go down game after game, but Jackson has also thrown just four touchdowns and has been sacked 12 times in the Ravens last three games played. But remember that Baltimore has the #1 ranked scoring offense in the league and they will be playing at home against one of the worst defensive teams this season.
Cincinnati is winless this season but they are not a walk in the park for any opponent. They have played hard under rookie coach Zac Taylor but their downfalls have been their inconsistency and inability to finish games. I like the Bengals to give an early challenge but the home team wins it in the end. I’m picking the Baltimore Ravens to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on 10/13/19. Prediction: Baltimore Ravens
Other Bets To Make
The Bengals are 6-3 ATS in their last nine games played. Cincinnati is 2-1 ATS at home this season and 5-1 ATS in their last six games played against the AFC Conference. The Ravens are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games played. Baltimore is 0-5 ATS in their last five home games. Head to head, the Bengals are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings, including 3-0 in the last three. Cincinnati is also 4-1 ATS in their last five road games played in Baltimore.
Bengals
+12 (-110)
Ravens
-12 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline.ag as of 10/10/19
The Bengals have outscored the Ravens by 2.6 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 4.0 points per game in the last three. This season has been a different story though. Baltimore is the NFL’s top-scoring team this season at 32.2 points per game while Cincinnati is near the bottom at #29 with their 16.0 points per game average. The Bengals are one of the worst defenses this year and I think the home team has enough firepower to cover this 12-point spread or any spread lower two touchdowns. Prediction: Ravens -12
The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by the Bengals. The under is 3-0 in Cincinnati’s three road games played this season. The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Ravens. The over is 4-1 in Baltimore’s last five games against the AFC North Division and the over is also 5-1 in their last six games against the AFC Conference. Head to head, the over is 5-4-1 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams, including 3-0 in their last three head to head matchups.
Over
48 -111
Under
48 -109
Odds from BetOnline.ag as of 10/10/19
These two teams have combined to score 43.2 points per game in their last 10 games played and 53.33 points per game in their last three meetings. Cincinnati has gone over the 48 total only twice in five games played this season while Baltimore has done so in four out of their five games played so far this year. Cincinnati is competitive in divisional games. The total has gove over in Baltimore’s last five divisional games. These are two very capable offensive teams. I think 48 is easy. Prediction: Over 48