The Cincinnati Bengals will host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday from Paul Brown Stadium in the AFC north matchup. The biggest question for the Ravens is around Lamar Jackson and his right ankle sprain. Jackson did not play last week against Green Bay.
The Bengals are coming off of a win against the Denver Broncos last week. This snapped a two game losing streak for the team. Joe Burrow was 15 for 22 for 157 yards with 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions, with a 52.0 passer rating.
The Bengals can hold on to first place in the AFC if they win this game. Joe Burrow’s passing has led to one of the best seasons for this team in ages. He has thrown for 3,640 yards for 3,640 yards with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He has a QBR of 48.9. Burrow had his best game of the season against the Raven back in October as he threw for 416 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
The Bengals offense averages 350.9 yards a game which is 15th in the league. They are scoring 26.4 points per game as they give up 345.7 yards and 21.6 points per game to their opponents.
The Ravens are coming off a loss to the Green Bay Packer in their last game. They were down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter but brought it to 31-30 with 42 seconds left. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh then elected to go for the two-point conversion, which failed and cost them the win. In their last game backup QB Tyler Huntley went 28 for 40 for 215 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. He had a QBR of 82.4.
Lamar Jackson has missed a few games this season but has been great when available. Huntley hasn’t been a bad backup either as they have loss by a total of three points in their last two games with him as the starter.
The Ravens offense averages 385.6 yards a game which is 5th in the league. They are scoring 23.9 points per game as they give up 351.1 yards and 22.5 points per game to their opponents.
The Bengals are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games in Week 16 and are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating less than 150 yards passing in their previous game. The Ravens are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win and are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game. Although a lot of people believe in the Ravens and Huntley to keep this one close, it’s clear that the Packers took their foot of the gas in that fourth quarter. The Bengals, with the division in their grasp should be able to win and cover the spread in this one.
AUTHOR: Clayton Fountain
