Baltimore Ravens (10-5) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-10-1)
The Baltimore Ravens visit the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Here’s our complete guide to Ravens-Bengals Bet Tips. Odds and lines for Ravens-Bengals picks are from PointsBet, current as of Thursday at 1 p.m. ET.
Ravens-Bengals Bet Tips
Odds & Betting Lines for Ravens-Bengals Picks
- Against The Spread: Ravens -13 (-105)/Bengals +13 (-115)
- Moneyline: Ravens (-776)/Bengals (+530)
- Total: 44.5 — Over 44.5 (-110)/Under 44.5 (-110)
- Implied Team Totals: Ravens 28.5, Bengals 15.5
Ravens-Bengals Picks overview: The Ravens are currently holding the No. 6 seed in the AFC. However, since there are five AFC teams with a 10-5 record and only four playoff spots left available, the Ravens are in a must-win spot. Victory should be a non-issue facing a Cincinnati team that is out of it. And while the Bengals have managed to win each of their past two games, including a shocker over the Steelers two weeks ago, this Ravens team is red-hot, victors in four straight games.
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Ravens-Bengals Key Injuries
Ravens
Ravens RB Mark Ingram has been a healthy scratch in each of the past two games. However, it looks like he is now dealing with an illness that has held him out of practice on Wednesday.
With Ingram inactive, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards have managed the Baltimore backfield with ease. Ingram, the elder of the Ravens’ backfield, could be deemed for the third straight game in the season finale.
Bengals
The Bengals have two of their top three wideouts on the injury report ahead of Sunday’s tilt with the Ravens. While Tyler Boyd missed last week’s game with a concussion suffered in Week 15, he does have a shot to play on Sunday. Boyd was a limited participant at Wednesday’s practice, and as long as he clear’s the NFL’s concussion protocol before Sunday, he will be good to go.
The other Cincinnati wideout on the report is Tee Higgins, who has been playing through his hamstring injury. Since Higgins not only played but dropped a 6/99/1 stat line on the Texans last week, it looks like, barring any setbacks, he will be in the lineup for Week 17 as well.
Ravens-Bengals Players to Watch
Ravens WR Dez Bryant has quietly made an impact amidst Baltimore’s four-game winning streak. While he has done close to nothing yardage-wise, finishing each of his past two games with fewer than 11 yards, Bryant has scored a touchdown in both of those contests on his lone receptions.
Bryant is not the only Ravens’ receiver catching fire in the end zone. Marquise Brown has also scored in four of his past five games after only finding the end zone in two out of his first 10 games.
This Ravens offense, more so, their passing attack, is getting hot at the right time. They will look to keep it going facing a Bengals secondary allowing the fifth-most touchdowns (17) to enemy wideouts in 2020.
The Bengals have won two straight games. In both of those victories, Giovani Bernard has made a significant impact. While in Week 15, Bernard totaled 97 yards and two touchdowns against the Steelers, he totaled 131 yards without a score last week versus the Texans.
Bernard was not the only Bengals’ back to find success last week. Samaje Perine totaled season-high 136 yards and a pair of scores.
This two-headed monster rushing attack must find a way to get into their groove in an extremely tough matchup with a Ravens defense surrendering the ninth fewest rushing yards per game (106.2) this season to give Cincinnati a fighting chance to play spoiler.
Ravens-Bengals Weather Report
The weather at Paul Brown Stadium calls for an overcast afternoon at the time of kickoff with a 14% chance of precipitation. Light rain in the morning is expected.
The temperature is set at 39 degrees Fahrenheit with 7 mph winds blowing West.
Ravens Bengals Picks & Best Bet
BEST BET: Ravens -13 (-105)
13 points is a ton for the Ravens to cover, but if they continue to play the way they have ever since Lamar Jackson’s short-lived one-game stint on the COVID list ended in Week 13, they should be fine.
In four games since Week 13 — Jackson missed Week 12 as he was on the list — the Ravens have scored 27+ points in all of them with one game in the 30s and two in the 40s.
They would have covered this 13-point spread in three out of those four games against the Cowboys, Giants, and Jaguars — all inferior teams. Meanwhile, the Browns took them to the wire. The Bengals are a lot closer to the aforementioned three teams than the Browns.
While the Bengals have won their past two contests, scoring 27+ points in those wins, they finished with fewer than 17 points in the five games preceding their recent streak of good fortune.
The Ravens are 6-2 against the spread in their past eight games, covering in five straight.
The Bengals are 3-2 ATS in their past five games, covering in two straight.
The Ravens are 3-4 ATS in their past seven meetings with the Bengals, covering in each of their past two.
The road team is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings between these two clubs. The Ravens are on the road this week.
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CONSIDER: Over 44.5 (-110)
As I had said in the above blurb, the Ravens are back and firing on all cylinders. While their total went Under last week against the Giants, it went Over in their three previous games, and in four of their past six.
The Over is 5-4-1 in the Bengals’ past 10 games, hitting in each of their past two games. As long as they can get a semblance of a rushing attack going this week, they should be able to put at least 14 on the board. And since the Bengals are allowing the 13th most points per game (25.7), their defense is sketchy enough where the white-hot Baltimore offense can do some damage on the scoreboard.
The Over is 4-2 in the past six meetings between these two clubs, failing to hit in two of tier past three games, including their matchup from earlier this season.
PASS: Ravens (-776)
This is a massive Moneyline to wager. You will have to lay a lot to win a little. If you want to take advantage of the Baltimore Moneyline, parlay it with a player prop or two and use this leg as your presumed lock.
Anthony Cervino is 61-50-2 on his NFL Best Bets in 2020.
Prepare Week 17 betting tips and plan
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