Ravens Bengals Betting – Cincinnati Must Bounce Back Quickly Against Baltimore
A season-opening loss is bad enough. A season-opening blowout loss is worse. The Cincinnati Bengals must regroup in a hurry.
NFL Betting: Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals
Online Betting Odds: Ravens -1.5
Why To Bet On The Ravens
Cincinnati’s offense is not dependable, and Baltimore has the kind of bone-crushing defense that can make life miserable for the Bengals. As long as Ray Lewis is roaming the field at the middle linebacker spot, the Ravens have the defensive anchor who will make good reads and deliver big hits. Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer is struggling; this past Sunday against New England, he threw a pick-six to Patriot linebacker Gary Guyton. If Baltimore’s linebacking corps (or its secondary) can register a pick-six against Palmer, the chances are that the Ravens will be on the plus side of a close game. Neither team figures to run away and hide in this contest. The AFC North is a punishing division with defense-first teams who generally play things very close to the vest. An interception return for a touchdown would provide a seven-point swing at minimum, and very possibly a 10- or 14-point shift in the proceedings. Timely defense, plus a turnover-free performance from quarterback Joe Flacco, will put Baltimore in very good shape this upcoming Sunday.
Why To Bet On The Bengals
The best reason to pick the Bengals is a reason which often crops up over the course of the NFL regular season: urgency. Very few teams in the NFL go 16-0 or 0-16 (only one team has attained each of those two distinctions, the 2007 New England Patriots and the 2008 Detroit Lions, respectively), which leaves a lot of teams in the mushy middle. NFL clubs are dangerous the week after a humiliating loss or when they’re faced with a must-win situation (or something close to it). NFL teams are vulnerable when they’re riding a multi-game winning streak, especially heading into a road game. Therefore, with all this having been said, Cincinnati stands a good chance this Sunday simply because the Bengals – after getting undressed by New England in a 38-24 game that wasn’t that close – are likely to be very irritated. Cincinnati fell behind 31-3 midway through its season opener. The Bengals allowed a 97-yard touchdown return on the second-half kickoff and were essentially a defeated team coming out of the locker room after halftime. The Bengals have to make a strong statement to themselves and to the rest of the AFC North when Baltimore comes to Southwestern Ohio. A loss will put the Bengals’ season in jeopardy after just two weeks. Playing with more passion and focus will lift Cincy to new heights. The Bengals should be motivated in this game, and that should give them an advantage in the realm of “intangibles.”
How The Game Will Play Out
Cincinnati will indeed play this game with maniacal intensity. The Bengals will get after it on defense and harass Joe Flacco into multiple turnovers. The Ravens’ banged-up secondary is also the unit that could allow Carson Palmer to get healthy… at least to some extent. Take Cincinnati because of home field and urgency.
Ravens Bengals BettingPick: Bengals
