Bengals vs. Ravens Point Spread: NFL Week 11 Odds, Prediction
It’s a critical AFC North game with the Ravens as 4-point favourites on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
It’s possible that the AFC North gets all four teams into the playoffs this season, which has never happened because it wasn’t possible until starting in 2020 when the NFL expanded the postseason field to seven in each conference. It’s very unlikely, though, simply because the teams will beat up on each other a handful of times the rest of the way. And Week 18 features only division games across the league. I could easily see three of four making it.
Cincinnati is the two-time AFC North champion but likely can forget about a repeat with a loss here because then it would lose the season tiebreaker with the Ravens courtesy of a 27-24 home loss to Baltimore in Week 2. That was back when the Bengals were struggling because Joe Burrow wasn’t close to 100 per cent healthy. He threw for 222 yards and two scores with a pick. Burrow hit Tee Higgins for a 4-yard touchdown on third-and-goal to cut the deficit to three with 3:28 left in the game, but the Bengals offence never got the ball back. Fellow former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson threw for 237 and two scores and rushed for 54 yards.
Both Burrow and Jackson are square in the NFL MVP race, although I don’t see how Burrow could win it over Jackson if Baltimore sweeps the season series.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati was upset at home by rising Houston on Sunday – I definitely did not see that coming – by a score of 30-27 on a walk-off 38-yard field goal to see a four-game winning streak snapped. It was a hugely back-and-forth game with the Bengals trailing by as many as 13 in the third and by 10 in the fourth but tied it with 1:33 to go. Joe Burrow threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns (threw a TD pass for the fifth straight opening drive) but also two picks and was sacked four times. No. 1 WR Ja’Marr Chase was in some question due to injury but had five catches for 124 yards and a TD. No. 2 WR Tee Higgins was out with a hamstring injury as was defensive end San Hubbard. You may remember Hubbard returned a fumble 98 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter of last postseason’s 24-17 wild card win over Baltimore. That was the go-ahead touchdown. The team’s best pass-rusher, Trey Hendrickson, will need an MRI after injuring his knee Sunday. That would be a huge loss.
Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore also was stunned at home on Sunday, 33-31 by Cleveland to see a four-game winning streak snapped. That was almost more surprising because the Ravens were clearly the better team all day and up 31-17 with about nine minutes left and then the roof caved in. Lamar Jackson had two picks on the day, including a pick-six that cut the lead to 31-30 right after Cleveland had scored on offence to cut the deficit to 31-24. The Browns would eventually win it on a 40-yard walk-off field goal. The Ravens lost some key players to injury led by offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and cornerback Marlon Humphrey – Humphrey left with an ankle injury late in the third quarter, and Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson completed all nine of his pass attempts for 103 yards after he left. Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton had an interception return for a TD on the second play of the game. It snapped Baltimore’s streak of 27 games without a defensive touchdown, which was the longest active one in the NFL.
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