Ravens vs. Bengals Point Spread: NFL Predictions, Week 10 Odds
The Cincinnati Bengals are in the midst of potentially the worst season in franchise history, but there are two reasons why they have a shot to upset the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
NFL Sunday Night Football Point Spread,Betting Analysis
So why could winless Cincinnati upset the division-leading Ravens in Week 10? First off, the Bengals are coming off their bye week and that’s always a huge advantage. True, Cincy has lost its past three out of a bye and failed to cover in any but that was under former coach Marvin Lewis and not current coach Zac Taylor.
Second, the Ravens could be due a huge letdown here because they had their biggest game of the regular season last Sunday night against the New England Patriots. Going from beating an unbeaten juggernaut featuring Tom Brady to a winless team starting a rookie QB for the first time? Human nature to let your guard down a bit.
Baltimore goes for the season sweep as it beat the visiting Bengals 23-17 in Week 6, failing to cover a 10.5-point spread. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson threw for 236 yards and rushed 19 times for 152 yards and a score. Baltimore torched the NFL’s worst run defence for 269 yards on the ground. On the flip side, the Bengals had 33 yards rushing. Andy Dalton threw for 235 yards and a pick, but he won’t be in there Sunday barring something unforeseen.
The underdog has covered five of the past six in this series.
Baltimore Ravens
Coming out of its bye week, the Ravens upset the Patriots – which we called here at Sports Interaction – on Sunday night 37-20 for their fourth straight victory. Jackson threw for a touchdown and ran for two more. He’s a legitimate MVP candidate. Baltimore gashed that Patriots defence for 210 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The Ravens scored four offensive touchdowns against a New England defence that had allowed four offensive touchdowns in its first eight games. Top Baltimore cornerback Jimmy Smith played for the first time since Week 1 off a knee injury. Baltimore has failed to cover its past seven vs. the AFC North.
Cincinnati Bengals
At 0-8, the Bengals’ season is obviously over so they might as well lose out and try to get the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft. Earning that could come down to Cincinnati’s Week 16 visit to Miami. During the bye week, Taylor decided to bench Dalton and that essentially ends Dalton’s career in Cincinnati with there being no chance the club picks up his $17.5 million (US) option for 2020. None of that money is guaranteed so it would cost nothing to walk away. Fourth-round rookie Ryan Finley will get his first NFL start and he will become the fourth current NFL starting QB from North Carolina State, joining Philip Rivers (Chargers), Russell Wilson (Seahawks) and Jacoby Brissett (Colts). The scouting report on Finley out of NC State was that he was very accurate and pretty mobile but didn’t have great arm strength. That’s why he slid to Round 4. Makes sense to start Finley out of the bye and allow him extra time to get first-team reps and prepare. Cincinnati is 8-3 ATS in its past 11 vs. the AFC North.
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