With Ryan Finley Set to Make First Start, Bengals Open as 9.5-Point Underdogs vs Ravens

• The Cincinnati Bengals have benched Andy Dalton and Ryan Finley will get his first career start.
• The Ravens beat the Bengals 23-17 in Week 6.
• The Ravens are 4-1 in their last five road games.

The Baltimore Ravens are fresh off an impressive 37-20 win over the New England Patriots, handing them their first loss of the season. Now the Ravens will visit the Bengals, who will debut rookie Ryan Finley under center.

The Ravens vs Bengals line opened up at -9.5 but has shot up to -10. Which side is the right bet?

Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals Odds

Odds taken Nov. 3

Ravens Stomp Patriots on Sunday Night Football

The New England Patriots entered Sunday as the last undefeated team in the AFC. They had won their eight contests by a combined score of 250-61. Their defense, which was lauded as being among the best ever, was allowing just 7.6 points per game.

However, Baltimore was one of the Patriots toughest opponents of the season and they ran right through them. Not only did they beat New England, they blew them out. They compiled 210 rushing yards and three touchdowns, holding the ball for 37:01 time of possession.

These are video game moves by @Lj_Era8. pic.twitter.com/d3SzMKv0k2

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 4, 2019

We’ll have to see if this is a bit of a letdown spot for the Ravens as they’re not likely to bring this type of intensity two weeks in a row. They’ve also been shaky in road games, losing at Kansas City and nearly losing to the Mason Rudolph-led Pittsburgh Steelers.

New Era in Cincinnati

It’s a lost season for the Bengals as they’re 0-8 heading into their Week 10 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.

Although it’s hard to blame Dalton as he’s had very little help around him, the Bengals want to move forward and see what they have in Finley, a 2019 fourth-round pick out of NC State.

There’s long been talk about Finley being the eventual successor for Dalton since the team drafted him, and now we’ll start to get an idea. The challenge is that Dalton was mostly running for his life with limited support, so what’s going to change in Week 10?

“Ryan (Finley) is a competitor. He wants to win, he has that edge, that leadership” – WR A.J. Green#Bengals Locker Room | @GEICO pic.twitter.com/U6w1qmQCYd

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 30, 2019

Dalton was sacked a whopping 29 times in eight games – among the most in the NFL – was supported by the league’s worst running game (59.5 rushing yards per contest) and had to play the entire season without star wideout A.J. Green.

Green is back but he won’t fix everything.

What’s the Best Bet?

This is a prime letdown spot for the Ravens but given the opponent, I don’t see it happening. The Bengals might get up early or start well, but the Ravens should cruise to a win and cover by the end of the day.

6 more for 8❗️❗️ pic.twitter.com/Xo48PSHLVr

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 4, 2019

These two teams met just a few weeks ago and while the final score was close (23-17), the Ravens dominated the game. They out-gained the Bengals 497-250, running for 269 yards in the process. And now the Bengals are putting a rookie under center.

Cincy has bigger issues than just the quarterback as the coaching, the offensive line, the running game and the defense have let them down. They’ll have an early spark but not much beyond that.