Ravens vs. Bengals Point Spread: NFL Week 2 Odds, Prediction
It’s a second straight divisional game for the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season as they prepare to host the Baltimore Orioles. Coming into the year with sky-high expectations, the Bengals are still picking up the pieces following their season-opening 24-3 loss in Cleveland last week. Baltimore will look to keep rolling after a 25-9 home win against the Texans.
Cincinnati is a 3.5-point favourite to win on the NFL odds, while the total sits at 46.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Bengals have won five of the last six head-to-heads between the teams, including two of three games last year. Baltimore won 19-17 at home in Week 5, while Cincinnati won 27-16 at home in Week 18.
The Bengals also pulled off a 24-17 playoff victory in the Wild Card round last year. The game was essentially won when Cincinnati defensive end Sam Hubbard returned a Baltimore fumble for a 98-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, the longest fumble return for a touchdown in NFL playoff history.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been the catalyst for Cincinnati taking over as the top dog in this rivalry series. Prior to the Bengals winning four of the last five head-to-heads, Baltimore had won five straight games.
Baltimore Ravens
It wasn’t a perfect game for the Ravens last week, but a win is a win. Baltimore finished with just 265 yards of total offence and Lamar Jackson turned the ball over twice, but defence managed to save the day. Jackson threw for 169 yards and no touchdowns, connecting nine times with rookie receiver Zay Flowers for a team-high 78 yards. Jackson also led the team with 38 rushing yards on six carries.
The win came at a loss, however, as running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a torn Achilles tendon and is done for the season. Dobbins, who ran for an early touchdown before the injury, missed the entire 2021 season with a knee injury and was limited to eight games last season. All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews missed last week’s game with a quad injury, but he practiced on Wednesday this week and could make his season debut on Sunday.
Cincinnati Bengals
Shortly after signing a new contract that makes him the NFL’s highest paid player, Burrow came up with nothing in Cincinnati’s season-opener. Burrow completed just 14 of 31 pass attempts for a career-worst 82 yards and no touchdowns before being benched late in the fourth quarter. The out-out-of-sync offence could be partially blamed by the fact Burrow was recently sidelined for a month because of a calf strain.
Receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who spent the lead up to last week’s game trash talking Baltimore, finished with 39 yards on five receptions. Running back Joe Mixon added 56 rushing yards on 13 carries. The Bengals’ offence was forced to punt 10 times in 14 possessions.
BAL
CIN