The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals renew hostilities on Super Wild Card weekend when they collide in Sunday Night Football.
The AFC North champion Bengals split the regular-season series with the Ravens, but they have the most recent win after beating their divisional rivals in Week 18. With momentum firmly behind them, Joe Burrow and Co. will be looking to go two straight at the expense of the Ravens.
And given Cincy’s impressive form, coupled with the fact that the Ravens are banged up and potentially down to a third-string quarterback, the conditions couldn’t be more favorable for the Bengals. Heck, color the world shocked if they don’t come through.
Thus, the Bengals are the lock bet of the first round of the playoffs, and the NFL betting markets support it, too.
Join us as we break this AFC North showdown in the first round of the playoffs, analyze the NFL odds powered by BetUS sportsbook and serve up choice NFL picks for your consideration.
Let’s check the latest NFL odds, stats, injury reports, and NFL lines. We’ve plenty of Vegas NFL odds for NFL Wild Card Playoffs Games.
Ravens vs Bengals NFL Odds
- Spread: Bengals -10 (Ev)
- Moneyline: Ravens +340 | Bengals -450
- Total: O40½ (-110) | U40½ (-110)
Opening Super Wild Card NFL Odds & Significant Moves
The markets opened with the Bengals as the team to beat across the betting online board. Cincinnati was pegged as the -250 home favorite while laying 5½ points to the Ravens in point spread betting markets. However, the markets rocketed up following discouraging news from Baltimore’s camp.
Lamar Jackson’s status remains uncertain, five weeks after suffering a knee injury in Week 13. Adding to Baltimore’s woes is the questionable status of backup Tyler Huntley, who is dealing with shoulder tendinitis and a wrist injury.
Given Baltimore’s predicament, the NFL odds and lines moved up dramatically. Now, the Bengals are favored by a country mile, priced at -450 (bet $450 to win $100) to win at home. The Ravens are the whooping +340 road underdogs (bet $100 to win $340).
The point spread has moved from Bengals – 5½ to -8 to -10 while the total – somewhat predictably – has dropped down from 44½ to 40½.
The rivalry continues. pic.twitter.com/tj09351SYo
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 10, 2023
Ravens: The Longshot
Easily the quarterback conundrum facing John Harbaugh is the biggest storyline ahead of this sudden-death clash.
Jackson hasn’t played since Week 12. His absence has seen Baltimore go 2-3-0 straight up (SU) in their last five games and 3-2-0 against the spread (ATS). While Jackson could (read: slim possibility) start versus the Bengals, one has to consider that his lack of game fitness will be an issue.
Baltimore’s second option looks even less likely. Backup quarterback Huntley was inactive in Week 18 due to injury. Thus, paving the way for third-string signal-caller Anthony Brown to make his first start for Baltimore this season.
It’s very handy for bettors handicapping this game to already have an idea of what a Brown-inspired Ravens side looks like as the third-stringer made his debut in a losing 27-16 effort against the Bengals in Week 18.
Brown didn’t play particularly well, going for 19 of 44 and 286 yards while throwing two interceptions and ZERO touchdowns. It’s hard to win on the back of that kind of quarterbacking.
On the bright side, the Ravens did cover as the 11½ -point road underdogs. Thanks to a couple of second-half field goals that saw them close the gap on the scoreboard after falling behind 24-10 in the first half.
Baltimore Ravens NFL Betting Trends
- Baltimore 7-9-1 ATS with a 2.1 winning margin on average
- Baltimore is 3-1-0 ATS as the road underdog with a 3.5 losing margin on average.
- Baltimore is 6-3-0 ATS on the road with a 2.3 winning margin on average
- Baltimore is 5-3-0 SU on the road with a 2.3 winning margin on average.
- Baltimore is 2-4-0 ATS versus the AFC North with a 2.8 losing margin
Bengals: White-Hot
Cincinnati is easily one of the most in-form teams going into the postseason. The Bengals are riding an eight-game winning streak and have won 12 of their last 14 games with a stellar 12-2-0 ATS record during that stretch.
One of those two defeats was a narrow 19-17 loss to Baltimore at the M&T Bank Stadium in Week 5. Since then, the Bengals have been on a tear, going 10-1-0 in their last 11 games.
Burrow has made a strong case for MVP consideration, helping lift Cincinnati’s passing offense into fifth place (265 passing yards per game). He has 35 touchdowns to his credit, 12 of which have come in the last five games, and he’s getting a ton of help from his trusted weapons – Joe Mixon, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, to name a few.
Cincinnati Bengals NFL Betting Trends
- Cincinnati is 12-4-0 ATS in its last 16 games with a 6.0 winning margin on average
- Cincinnati is 5-2-0 ATS at home with a 10.7 winning margin on average
- Cincinnati is 6-1-0 SU at home with a 10.7 winning margin on average
- Cincinnati is 4-2-0 ATS as a home favorite with a 12.0 winning margin on average
- Cincinnati is 3-3-0 ATS versus the AFC North with a 1.2 winning margin
“Very simply, if the Cincinnati Bengals don’t turn the football over, the Ravens have no shot to win this game.”
— @danorlovsky7 😳 pic.twitter.com/mboUxgCJuE
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 11, 2023
Ravens vs Bengals Prediction
Smart money is on the Bengals to win and advance into the Divisional Round. However, betting almost five times the potential return on the bet isn’t the best value play here. Even if it is a lock bet in the eyes of many.
The value is in the point spread with Cincinnati. Yes, laying 10 points with the Bengals is a lot, but the alternative is less appealing considering the high stakes involved.
To begin with, the point spread falls in line with the Bengals’ 11-point margin of victory last week. The Bengals’ fifth-ranked passing offense has struggled against the Ravens, but with their playoff lives resting on the outcome, it wouldn’t be surprising to see their ball out against the Ravens’ 25th-ranked passing defense (232.2 passing yards per game).
Of course, the Ravens can’t be underestimated. Harbaugh is no stranger to being an underdog in the postseason. However, the quarterback position is an insurmountable obstacle, even for a coach of his pedigree. Baltimore’s rushing offense is no slouch, but Brown lacks experience at this level, or Jackson’s fitness question marks – should he get the start – are wild cards that command little currency.
Take the Bengals to win and cover.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
