A huge AFC North battle takes place in NFL Week 5 in Cincinnati. The Baltimore Ravens after dropping their first two games have bounced back after back-to-back dominating performances. Meanwhile, the Bengals notched their first win of the season in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers. Can the Bengals make it two straight wins and get their season back on track? Below are my Ravens vs. Bengals Preview and Predictions.
The Bengals come into this game struggling on the defensive side, to say the least. The rush defense has struggled to say the least and now has the task of slowing down Derrick Henry. Henry seems to be finding his stride after rushing for 150+ rushing yards in back-to-back weeks. Meanwhile, it’s been the complete opposite story for the Ravens who have the best rush defense in the league.
Both teams come into this division game relatively healthy as the Bengals have seen the return of Tee Higgins. However, we will have to keep an eye on Trey Hendrickson as he was a limited participant in practice on Thursday. Additionally, Mike Hilton is dealing with a knee injury and has not practiced this week.
Ravens at Bengals Preview and Predictions
Best Bets
The Baltimore Ravens come into this matchup as a 2.5-point favorite. Since the 2018 season when these two teams have matched up, the Ravens are 5-2 ATS in Cincinnati and have seen plenty of points being scored. In fact, the Over is 6-1 since 2018, which is the same span as when these teams matched up in Cincinnati. Additionally, since 2018, the Over is 9-4 overall.
Do the Ravens come into this game a bit overvalued? Sure. The Ravens made easy work of the Cowboys in Week 3 and were able to handle the Bills in Week 4. The Bengals seem to be finding their stride and in a division where there is chaos early in the season, this is a big game for the Bengals. Since the 2012 season, in Week 5 or prior to, division home underdogs are 56-35 ATS (61.5%). The Ravens will be a public side this week.
Best Bet: Bengals +2.5
Player Prop Best Bet
Joe Burrow Over 252.5 Passing Yards
As I mentioned above, the Bengals will be facing the best rush defense in this league in this game. This game will be on the shoulders of Joe Burrow. As great as the rush defense has been, the Ravens pass defense leaves more to be desired. The Ravens’ defense is allowing 282 passing yards per game on an average of 24 completions on 37 pass attempts. Prior to last week, opposing quarterbacks against the Ravens had thrown for 275+ passing yards.
