At long last, we finally have a banger of a "Thursday Night Football" matchup for our viewing pleasure. The Baltimore Ravens will host the Cincinnati Bengals in a crucial AFC North battle, and we've got you covered with our betting breakdown and two picks for "TNF."
Both teams are on similar trajectories right now. The Ravens and Bengals both won four straight games before dropping heartbreakers last week. Baltimore blew a 14-point second-half lead and lost at home to the Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati gave up 30 points in a close loss to the Houston Texans.
Despite having a winning record at 5-4, the Bengals are in last place in the loaded AFC North and are in danger of dropping even further down the AFC playoff picture. The Ravens are in a safer spot at 7-3, but they don't want to lose their slim lead atop the division.
On the injury front, the Bengals will be without wide receiver Tee Higgins and defensive end Sam Hubbard. As for the Ravens, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley didn't practice on Wednesday and may not be able to suit up.
We can see why the Bengals might be appetizing as more than a field goal underdog, but it's hard to trust their offense without Higgins going up against the strongest defense in the NFL through 10 weeks. This feels like a game in which the Ravens are able to force a key turnover or make the big stop down the stretch, while the Bengals will have trouble containing Lamar Jackson and Baltimore's running game.
This spread feels a tad short, so we're taking the home faves.
How about a lottery ticket for the people?
Keaton Mitchell has been an explosive weapon for the Ravens with 172 rushing yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries over the last two weeks. That's an average of 14.3 yards per carry, so it's time for Baltimore to unleash the rookie against a Bengals defense that ranks 31st in the NFL in yards allowed per carry.
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