Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Betting Preview
Sunday night, the Ravens and Bengals face off in the Wild Card playoffs. These teams are 1-1 against each other this season, so who will take this important rubber match? Sportsmemo NFL handicapper Eric Pauly shares his thoughts and makes a free, expert Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens betting pick!
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens AFC Wild Card Betting Odds
Sunday, January 15 | NFL Wild Card Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Cincinnati Bengals -7 vs Baltimore Ravens |
Total: | o/u 41.5 Points |
Location: | Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH |
Game Time: | 8:15pm ET / 5:15m PT (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
TV: | NBC |
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Betting Preview
After taking care of the Ravens in Week 18, the Bengals host Baltimore for the second time in two weeks. Baltimore beat the Bengals in Week 5, but that was before Cincinnati got hot and when Lamar was in the lineup.
Simply put, Lamar Jackson’s availability makes or breaks this game. If Lamar cannot play, which seems likely, the Ravens will struggle mightily again. If Lamar does suit up, 7 points on the spread may be a little excessive.
Ravens Really Miss Jackson
Baltimore won 10 games this season, which on paper, sounds great, but I am not sure it was much of an accomplishment. The Ravens had an easy schedule, and they were able to capitalize on it. Yes, they won without Lamar, but against poor opponents.
The Ravens’ offense, with or without Lamar under center, is broken. Outside of Mark Andrews, this team has 0 proven pass catchers on its roster, and the proof is in how they play.
Baltimore is 28th in passing attempts, 28th in passing yards, and 21st in net yards per attempt on offense. Their inability to move the ball down the field in the air hurts this team in terms of yardage and in the red zone.
So many of these issues have to do with a lack of talent and poor design. This has been a problem for the Ravens for the last three seasons, and they have yet to fix it.
Fortunately for Baltimore, they can run the ball with the best of them, but that will not win them this game against the Bengals.
While the Ravens’ offense is broken, their defense has come alive, and they have been playing like a top-tier unit since the Roquan Smith trade. The season-long numbers do not look too good since they started out terribly on defense, but this is a very good defensive team.
However, they finished the season 3rd in points against, 9th in yards against, 3rd in rushing yards per carry against, 4th on third down, and 3rd in the red zone. These metrics are huge, which is why the Ravens stayed in the hunt over the back half of the season.
All things considered, even with Lamar Jackson, the Ravens are a broken team, and they are not coming into the postseason with much momentum. 7 points is a lot in the NFL, but I think the Ravens will have trouble keeping this game close.
Bengals Ready For Another Playoff Run
The Bengals have been on a tear, and they enter the postseason on an eight-game winning streak. This cast of characters is as smooth as they come, and it is hard to see them not taking care of business in the first round.
The Bengals’ offense started out slow this season, but they ended the season in the top 10 in most metrics on offense. Cincinnati is 4th in offensive DVOA, 7th in points, 8th in yards, 5th in points per drive, 8th in net years per attempt, 3rd on third down, and 5th in the red zone.
If that doesn’t emphasize how good this offense has been, I’m not sure what else will. Despite their issues running the football, the Bengals move the sticks, convert in the red zone, and put points on the board.
While the Bengal’s offense gets a ton of attention, their defense is what held them together early in the season and is what makes them a true contender.
The Bengals are 16th in yards allowed, but they are 6th in points, 11th in DOVA, 9th in the red zone, and 9th in points per drive.
This unit isn’t lights out as they are 20th on third down, 18th in net yards per attempt against, and 23rd in passing yards against, but they consistently improve throughout the course of the game. Their defensive coordinator will be getting a few head coaching interviews after this season.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Prediction
Without official news on Lamar, it is hard to pull the trigger on a wager, but the way the market has reacted, it is clear Lamar is unlikely to suit up. Even if he does, he has not practiced in weeks, so he cannot be expected to come in hot.
At the current price of 7, I still like the Bengals, but if you can get them at -6.5, I like them a lot more. However, the best way to bet this game is to tease Cincy in a 6-point teaser to -.5, -1, or -1.5. Cincinnati fits the +EV teaser leg criteria to a tee, and I love them outright this weekend.
Prediction: Buy Bengals down to -6.5 if need be or Bengals in any 6-point teaser
Opening Line Report | NFL Wild Card Round
Join Drew Martin and Teddy Covers for this week’s edition of Opening Line Report as these two discuss betting angles to take across every matchup on the board including this Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens AFC Wild Card Round game!
NFL Odds Board
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NFL point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all NFL Playoff games, including this Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Eric Pauly, @slimeaction on Twitter, graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Finance. Eric is a die-hard Washington Commanders and New York Knicks fan and enjoys watching and writing about the NFL, NBA and MLB. His favorite gambling movements include hitting a +1000 future on Washington to win the NFC East in 2020 and predicting Jonathan Taylor’s breakout season with a +900 ticket for him to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Aside from the sports betting industry, and making a brilliant Cleveland Browns vs Los Angeles Chargers betting pick, Eric also enjoys good eats, dynasty fantasy football leagues, daily fantasy sports and playing the guitar.
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