Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (8:15 PM EST): Week 11
The Cincinnati Bengals (5-4) and star quarterback Joe Burrow are headed towards M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to take on the AFC North-leading Ravens (7-3) and dual-threat QB Lamar Jackson. Both squads are coming off heartbreaking defeats. Cincinnati faced the Houston Texans last week and took the loss 30-27. Rookie C.J. Stroud continued his Cinderella story after beating the Bengals. Meanwhile, the Ravens are coming off of a divisional loss to the Cleveland Browns 33-31. Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins nailed a 40-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game to seal the victory for Cleveland.
One of the main reasons why the Bengals have been struggling so far this season is due to a lack of a running game. While Joe Mixon has averaged 3.9 yards per carry, he has received over 20 carries once in 2023. The Bengals should definitely use Mixon much more in the running game, especially with the Ravens giving up nearly 5 yards per carry on the ground last week against the Browns (178 total rushing yards allowed).
Bengals’ QB Joe Burrow will have a difficult test ahead of him as he faces a top 5 passing defence so far this season in the Ravens. Burrow threw for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns last week against Houston, but he was also picked off twice in the fourth quarter. He’ll be facing a Baltimore secondary that allowed only 213 yards and a touchdown to Deshaun Watson, while also recording a pick six from safety Kyle Hamilton. Burrow will have to bring his A-game against an impressive Ravens’ secondary.
Meanwhile, the Ravens have some turnover troubles of their own. Quarterback Lamar Jackson threw two interceptions against Cleveland, including a pick six late in the game that tied up the contest. Jackson was also sacked three times, which could occur again on Thursday against Trey Hendrickson (8.5 sacks this season) and the Bengals’ defensive line. Jackson also passed for 223 yards and a touchdown while racking up 41 rushing yards. While Lamar Jackson is tied-4th in turnovers (11), the Bengals’ secondary gave up 356 passing yards to C.J. Stroud last week. Jackson should have a good day against one of the worst passing defences in the NFL.
Lamar Jackson may be the centrepiece of the Ravens’ offence, but Baltimore has an underrated backfield. RB1 Gus Edwards has the third-most rushing touchdowns this season (8) and is averaging 4.2 yards per carry. However, rookie UDFA running back Keaton Mitchell has averaged 14.3 yards per carry with 2 scores in his first 4 games. While this duo in the backfield may not get national recognition, they have been really effective together.
While the Bengals are in fourth in the AFC North, they can easily flip that script with a victory over the Ravens on Thursday night. With a win, they would be right back into contention for the division lead. However, Cincinnati is 0-2 against their own division in 2023. They will look to change that and claim their first divisional lead during Thursday’s matchup. However, the Ravens look to extend their division lead over the heat-seeking Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, who are both 6-3 and 0.5 games back of the Ravens. With both teams missing key pieces on both sides of the ball, this game is truly a toss-up.
Cincinnati Bengals (+3.5) @ Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) – O/U 46.0
Head Referee: Adrian Hill
Notable Injuries:
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Bengals: WR Andrei Iosivas (OUT), DE Sam Hubbard (OUT), WR Tee Higgins (OUT)
Ravens: CB Daryl Worley (Questionable), LB Kyle Van Noy (Questionable), T Ronnie Stanley (OUT), LB Trenton Simpson (OUT), G John Simpson (Questionable), CB Marlon Humphrey (Doubtful), WR Devin Duvernay (Questionable)
*Note: All Betting Odds mentioned throughout the article are via FanDuel Sportsbook (Odds are subject to change)
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