by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Jan 09, 2023AFC Wild Card Playoffs
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Venue: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Where to watch: NBC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Bengals -6.5; Bengals -275, Ravens +230; O/U 43.5
FanDuel: Bengals -6.5; Bengals -290, Ravens +235; O/U 43.5
BetMGM: Bengals -6.5; Bengals -300, Ravens +240; O/U 43.5
Caesars: Bengals -6.5; Bengals -303, Ravens +240; O/U 43.5
Season record
Ravens: 10-7 (No. 6 seed)
Bengals: 12-4 (No. 3 seed, clinched AFC North)
Wild Card Weekend is upon us, and it’s time to lay the big bucks on the best teams of the season. What a slate of games we have this weekend, and you know our champion handicappers are coming in hot with the games this weekend. Especially with how they closed the last month, a lot is riding on this. Al McMordie closed the final four weeks at 18-10-1, and Hollywood Sports also had a good run of form with a 21-14-1 mark in that run. Even Jim Feist finished with regular season with a 9-5 run the last two weeks. This is the action you want to get on. Make sure you hop over to bigal.com and check out our Best Bets page to see what our champion handicappers are cooking up for the postseason!
Ravens - Bengals preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Bengals beat Ravens 27-16
Nothing like going at it again for the second time in two straight weeks and you don't even need to leave the comfort of your hotel room. Though probably 4 everyone who covers the Baltimore Ravens they are probably open they come back home for a little bit only to fly back to Cincinnati later in the week, but I digress.
But for the second time in two weeks it will be the Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals going at it, this time in the wild card round on Sunday night in Cincinnati. The Bengals and Ravens are facing each other after what almost could have transpired is one of the more random moments in NFL history, had there been a coin flip to determine who was going to host this game. We won't get into all the details of what happened but Needless to say it was going to be very ugly had Baltimore found a way to beat Cincinnati.
The last, nothing is wrong and the Bengals are hosting a playoff game. Would they be better off with the first or second seed in the AFC? Probably so, but they were just in this position a year ago as the No. 4 seed and made it to the Super Bowl.
The Bengals are coming off a 27-16 win in week 18 this past Sunday in which the Ravens did not have Lamar Jackson once again, no one really knows if he's even going to be available for this game though everyone seems to be super confident, And the Bengals are rolling into this game winners of eight straight. Does anybody really believe that the Ravens are just going to throw Jackson into the fryer after being away for a month and a half and expect him to win this game?
It certainly was not the prettiest game for the Bengals in this one. Joe Burrow threw for just 215 yards on 25 of 42 passing and just one touchdown. Joe Mixon ran the ball for 27 yards on only 11 carries, but did score touchdown and had probably the best touchdown celebration we have seen this season. I don't necessarily think that it was a byproduct of the Bengals taking a nosedive late in the season, but rather Baltimore having a really strong defense.
That is the only way the Ravens are going to have a shot in this game. Even if they have Jackson at 100%, there isn't going to be enough of a true barometer that says the Ravens have a chance to win this game. You can look up and down any which way you want. The Bengals are the reigning AFC champions for a reason and you know that Burrow is going to rebound after a lackluster performance against this team and if you don't think that, then you're just kidding yourself.
No matter who is the quarterback for Baltimore you cannot trust the way that they are going about this game. Baltimore rookie quarterback Anthony brown did throw for 286 yards but it took 19 of 44 passing to get there. He also threw two interceptions. I just have a hard time believing that Jackson is just going to get up off his couch after almost six weeks off, returned to the field and suddenly set the Cincinnati defense on fire.
Prediction
The Bengals are 7-0-1 in their last eight against the spread and the fact that they are laying 6.5 in this game tells me all I really need to know about where this game is from a betting standpoint. The mangles have dominated on the books and it would not shock me if they dominated in this game. I don't think you'll be seeing a lackluster Cincinnati offense this time around. Bengals 30, Ravens 17
Betting trends
Ravens are 0-3-1 ATS in the last four meetings.
The over has gone 4-1 in the last five meetings.
Bengals are 4-0-1 ATS in the last five after allowing 350 total yards or more int he previous game.
Ravens are 7-1 ATS in their last eight playoff games.
Statistical leaders
Ravens:
Passing: Lamar Jackson – 2,242 yards, 17 TD, 7 INT
Rushing: Lamar Jackson – 764 yards, 3 TD
Receiving: Mark Andrews – 847 yards, 5 TD
Defense: Justin Houston – 9 sacks
Bengals:
Passing: Joe Burrow – 4,475 yards, 35 TD, 12 INT
Rushing: Joe Mixon – 814 yards, 7 TD
Receiving: Ja’Marr Chase – 1,046 yards, 9 TD
Defense: Trey Hendrickson – 8 sacks
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Baltimore Ravens - Cincinnati Bengals playoff prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NFL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
