Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens Preview
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
When: Sunday, November 27, 2016, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Cincinnati Bengals (+3.5) vs. Baltimore Ravens (-3.5); total: 41.5 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
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Betting on the Cincinnati Bengals (+3.5)
Cincinnati’s losing woes show no sign of abating as the Bengals crashed to their second straight defeat with a 16-12 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. It was another disappointing result for the Bengals who are still searching for their first win since October 23. The Bengals looked out of sorts in this contest with kicker Mike Nugent missing two extra points and quarterback Andy Dalton throwing two interceptions.
Things are bound to get tougher for the Bengals as standing in their way this coming Sunday are the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are second in the NFL in total defense, allowing just 295.1 yards per game this season. To make matters worse for Cincinnati, wide receiver A.J. Green will miss not only this game but quite possibly the rest of the season with a torn hamstring. Green has been fantastic for Cincinnati all season, nabbing 66 catches for 964 yards and four touchdowns.
The pressure then is on Dalton to deliver the goods for the Bengals this coming Sunday. He struggled mightily in the loss to the Bills, finishing with a quarterback rating of 57.0. He definitely was affected by the departure of Green who suffered the hamstring injury on just the second play from scrimmage. To ease the burden on Dalton, Tyler Boyd must once again stand tall for the Bengals against the Ravens. He caught six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.
Another guy who needs to step up for Cincinnati is Jeremy Hill. He ran for just 62 yards on 16 carries in the loss to Buffalo. The Bengals need Hill’s ground game now more than ever with Green out for the foreseeable future. The Bengals are 12th in the NFL in rushing offense, averaging 113.3 yards per game on the ground this season.
The Bengals are 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings with the Ravens.
Betting on the Baltimore Ravens (-3.5)
The Baltimore Ravens were sent crashing back to earth on Sunday with a deflating 27-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. They simply had no answer for Dak Prescott who threw for three touchdowns. The Ravens had an excellent opportunity to record their third straight victory, but several missed chances on the offensive end thwarted their bid to move back into solo first place in the AFC North.
For the Ravens to return to winning ways against the Bengals, they will need to do a much better job on their third-down opportunities. They converted just three of their nine third-down attempts against Dallas on Sunday. The onus then is on Joe Flacco to improve on his passing accuracy. Flacco completed just 23 of 35 passes against Dallas as he finished the game with a QB rating of 56.8.
Apart from Flacco, the Ravens also need their defense to step up its game against the Bengals. Baltimore’s pass rush disappeared against Prescott (301 yards passing) while the Ravens’ vaunted secondary didn’t have an answer for Dez Bryant (80 yards receiving, two touchdowns). The Ravens looked to play it safe in their coverage and that resulted in their defensive unit staying on the field for 35 minutes and 39 seconds.
That’s a major no-no against a Dallas team that’s brimming with confidence right now. Baltimore allowed a whopping 417 yards in that contest, their second-worst defensive performance all season. That being said, they will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Cincinnati side that’s averaging just 19.9 points per game this season, seventh-worst in the NFL.
Baltimore is 3-2 SU and ATS at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Baltimore (-3.5) wins by double-digits.
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