Ravens vs. Bengals Predictions, Picks & Odds Week 2: Will Cincinnati Rebound in Home Opener?

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16 September 2023

Ravens vs. Bengals Predictions, Picks & Odds Week 2: Will Cincinnati Rebound in Home Opener?

The AFC North's leading two preseasonfavorites meet in Week 2 as the Cincinnati Bengals host theBaltimore Ravens. We have you covered with our top Ravens vs. Bengalspredictions based on the best NFL odds.

TheRavens beat the Houston Texans 25-9 in Week 1 for their seventh win in the pasteight season openers. Meanwhile, the Bengals suffered their sixth straight road defeat against the Cleveland Browns. The loss snapped an eight-game regular seasonwinning streak, with their most recent setback coming in Week 8 last year, alsoagainst the Browns.

Hereis our best Ravens vs. Bengals prediction and NFL picks (odds via our best NFL betting sites; pick confidence based on a1-to-5-star scale).

Ravens vs.Bengals prediction

Bengals ML (-169 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Manyobservers were quick to ridicule Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow after signing a five-year, $275 million extension,and he followed that up with his lowest completion percentage (45.2%) and firstcareer game with under 100 passing yards (82). In addition, Burrow’s 2.6yards per attempt were his second-fewest in a season opener in the Super Bowlera (min. 30 pass attempts). However, this is more of a one-off,considering Cincinnati’s overall lack of success against Cleveland recently.

Bettors should be far more concerned about the Ravens after Week 1. Notonly did Baltimore lose running back J.K. Dobbins for the season with a tornAchilles, but the following players didn't practice Wednesday: lefttackle Ronnie Stanley (knee), center Tyler Linderbaum (ankle), and cornerbackMarlon Humphrey (foot). In addition, safety Marcus Williams was already ruled out with a pectoral injury.

Baltimorehaving two offensive linemen questionable for this game is a concern, because when QB Lamar Jackson was pressured against the Texans, he went 2-for-7,averaged 2.0 yards per attempt, committed two turnovers, and had a 0.2 TotalQBR while getting sacked four times. When Jackson wasn't pressured, hecompleted all 15 pass attempts, averaged 10.3 yards per attempt, and posted a65 Total QBR.

WhileJackson’s 77.3% completion percentage was his highest since 2021, healso had his third-lowest QBR (13.6) in his career (including playoffs, min.five pass attempts).

Thisis a solid five-star play as we're also anxious about the Ravens’ secondary injuries, considering the Bengals were one of five teams with two1,000-plus-yard receivers last season (Ja’Marr Chase 1,046, Tee Higgins 1,029).Meanwhile, the Bengals' D should rebound from a poor performance lastweek. They ranked sixth in scoring defense and fifth in defensiveefficiency last season. In addition, Cincinnati won four of the previousfive meetings against Baltimore, with three of the wins coming by 11-pluspoints.

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Ravens vs.Bengals best odds

Thereis a negligible difference between Caesars and bet365 on moneyline odds,as a $1 difference won't sway many bettors. However, there's astark contrast between those sportsbooks and DraftKings, the only shop at-180 odds or higher for Cincy to earn its first win.

Baltimore is 5-1 SUin its last six September games.

Ravens vs.Bengals odds

Ifany of the best sports betting apps offer the Bengals at less than a field goal, jump at that number. Our biggest reason for paying up slightly on theirmoneyline odds is because they're laying 3 points and the hook atmost shops other than FanDuel, who has the Bengals at -3 (-122).

FanDuel was aligned with its competitors at -3.5 before Ravens' backers drove thenumber down to -3, while other shops like BetMGM remained at -3.5 afterthe move up from -3. More than 59% of point spread wagers are on theBengals.

The best sports betting sites are split evenly on a total between 46 and 46.5, and those at 46 (DraftKingsand BetRivers) are juiced slightly to the Over (-112). The total rose froman opening of 45.5, as the Over cashed in the last four games the Bengals were favored over the Ravens.