Ravens vs. Bengals Point Spread: NFL Week 2 Odds, Prediction
The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals are given the honour of being the first two teams in the 2018 season to play on very short rest on a Thursday night as they kick off Week 2.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Rather amazingly, the series is split down the middle at 22-all. The Bengals have had the upper hand of late, winning seven of the past nine. Last year, the clubs split.
The Ravens ended a five-game losing streak in Cincinnati with an ugly 20-0 Week 1 victory in 2017. The teams didn’t even combine for 500 yards offence and neither quarterback completed 50 per cent of his passes. They also combined for 20 penalties and six turnovers – five by Cincinnati, with quarterback Andy Dalton throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble in perhaps his worst-ever game. The two guys who scored the Baltimore touchdowns, Terrance West and Jeremy Maclin, are not currently with any team in the league.
To close last season, the Bengals had a stunning 31-27 win in Baltimore thanks to a long TD pass in the final minute on fourth-and-long. That knocked the Ravens out of a wild-card spot and ended Buffalo’s NFL-longest playoff drought.
The Bengals are 6-4 ATS in the previous 10 meetings at home, with the past two staying under the total.
Baltimore Ravens
Don’t go making Super Bowl plans quite yet Ravens fans as the Buffalo Bills might be the NFL’s worst team in 2018, especially on offence. Still, Baltimore looked great in trashing the visiting Bills 47-3 on Sunday. Joe Flacco wasn’t very good in 2017 but was 25 of 34 for 236 yards, three TDs and no picks against Buffalo. New addition WR Michael Crabtree caught one of those TD throws. The Ravens held the Bills to just 153 yards and picked off two passes.
It was the second-largest margin of victory in the John Harbaugh era (biggest was 48-3 victory over the Detroit Lions in December 2009). With it such a rout, rookie QB Lamar Jackson got a decent amount of work. He rushed for 39 yards and had a 24 yard-completion.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati rallied for a 34-23 victory at Indianapolis. The Bengals scored the game’s final 24 points. Andy Dalton was 21 of 28 for 243 yards and two scores. AJ Green caught six balls for 92 yards and a touchdown. Joe Mixon rushed 17 times for 95 yards and a score and caught five balls for 54 yards. Starting left tackle Cordy Glenn was listed as questionable with a shoulder injury but did play.
The one negative was safety Shawn Williams being ejected for unnecessary roughness, but that ended up working out because his replacement, Clayton Fejedelem, sealed the victory by running a fumble back 83 yards for a touchdown in the final minute.
