Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals Odds, Predictions and Best Bets for Week 18

• The Baltimore Ravens are big 9.5-point underdogs when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals
• Cincinnati has won seven straight games
• See the Ravens vs Bengals odds for Week 18 clash, and our betting prediction below

Despite not having a chance at the AFC North crown, a Baltimore Ravens (10-6, 5-3 away) win over the Cincinnati Bengals (11-4. 5-1 home) in Week 18 and they could host the AFC North champs in the Wild Card Round.

For that to happen, though, Baltimore is going to have to try and stop the surging Bengals, who’ve won seven straight, without the services of Lamar Jackson (knee), who will miss a fifth straight game.

It all gets underway Sunday (January 8) at 1pm ET from Paycor Stadium, in a game you can see live in CBS.

The Bengals have been installed as hefty 9.5-point favorites, with a total set at 39.5.

Ravens vs Bengals Odds

Odds as of January 7 at DraftKings. Claim the DraftKings Sportsbook promo code to bet on Ravens vs Bengals.

According to the latest NFL Betting Trends, 72% of the public is backing the Bengals to cover that figure, and 87% of bettors are taking them to win outright.

If you’re in the Buckeye State, it’s a perfect time to get in on the action, as Ohio online sports betting has officially been legalized, with retail and online wagering now live.

Playoff Implications for Ravens vs Bengals

Both teams are playoff bound — but it gets tricky if they match up in the Wild Card round.

The postponed Monday Night Football game  between the Buffalo Bills and Bengals that ended after Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field won’t be made up.

So, if the Bengals lose to Baltimore, both teams would have 11 wins, with the Ravens having beat the Bengals twice. Had the MNF game ended with a Cincinnati loss, the Ravens would have been AFC North division winners.

However, that one game wiped from the slate ensures Cincy has the better winning percentage, giving them the division title.

Because of that, the NFL will use a coin toss to determine field of play between these two teams if they do meet in the Wild Card round.

Ravens vs Bengals Betting Analysis

It’s been an offensive slog for the Ravens without Jackson, who was injured in Week 13 against the Broncos. Since their Week 10 bye, Baltimore has scored more than 18 points just once, and they’re putting up just 12. 3 points per game in four Tyler Huntley starts.

Baltimore lost 16-13 to the Steelers in Week 17, dropping them to 2-2 without Lamar. Huntley threw for just 130 yards, which is the the second-highest total as a starter. He also had one touchdown and one interception.

JK Dobbins makes it look too easy man pic.twitter.com/2orch930tP

— RAMEY (@HoodieRamey) December 18, 2022

Expect him to lean heavily on the league’s 2nd-best rushing attack. JK Dobbins has been the league’s top rusher the last four weeks, pumping out 397 yards on the ground, including 13 runs of 10 or more since Week 14.

As for the Bengals, there’s no telling how the team will respond after being on the field for that MNF incident. Perhaps the chance of opening the playoffs on the road provides them enough incentive to focus on football.

They’ll be facing a Ravens’ defense that’s third in scoring defense, holding opponents to 18 points per game.

JOH BURROW ➡️ TYLER BOYD

Confira o primeiro TD do jogo de pertinho. #NFLBrasil | #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/GHYJUkTJzI

— NFL Brasil (@NFLBrasil) January 3, 2023

Cincinnati is seventh in scoring at 24.4 points per game. It will also be a chance for Joe Burrow to bounce back from one of his poorest performances of the season, when they lost 19-17 to the Ravens in Week 5. Joe Cool threw for 217 yards with a TD and an interception, and was sacked twice.

Despite sweeping the season series last year, the Bengals have lost six of their last eight to the Ravens.

Ravens vs Bengals Pick

It’s always tricky picking these end of season games. With a potential matchup between the same teams in consecutive weeks, perhaps the game script goes a little more vanilla on offense and defense in Week 18, saving the real package installation for the potential Wild Card game.

Cincinnati features a top-5 scoring defense, and their 5th-ranked run defense will definitely be put to the test, but in all likelihood they’ll try to make Huntley beat them.

Still, there are too many intangibles and too large a spread, so we’ll nibble at the total. For the Bengals, the under has hit in seven straight games they’ve played a team with a winning record.

Not surprisingly, the Ravens have gone under the total in each of their last five as well.

The Pick:  

• Under 39.5 (-110); 1.5 units to win 1.36 units
• Overall: 9-9 ATS, 1-1 ML; 1-0 O/U, -3.6 units

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