Week 10 in the NFL kicks off Thursday night from M&T Bank Stadium, where the Baltimore Ravens will host the Cincinnati Bengals.
Baltimore comes into this game with a 6-3 record and has won six of its last seven after an 0-2 start. Meanwhile, Cincinnati also started off on the wrong foot, limping to a 1-4 record before steadying itself with three wins in the past month.
These two division rivals met earlier this season and it was one of the most memorable games of the first half of the year. Baltimore came away with the victory after a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to force overtime. In the extra period, a Lamar Jackson fumble appeared to give the Ravens a loss, but a missed 53-yard field goal by Bengals placekicker Evan McPherson gave Baltimore new life, and they cashed in with a chip shot play. winner over Justin Tucker.
If this head-to-head match is anything like the previous match, we’re in for quite a match. For more information about this game and how to watch it, check out our full preview below.
Where can you watch Bengals at Ravens?
When the Bengals have the ball
Joe Burrow is coming off one of his better performances of the season in Week 9, as the Bengals quarterback threw five touchdowns in a win over Las Vegas. The last time he threw for that many scores was in Week 5 against these Ravens, albeit in a loss. Along with five passing touchdowns, Burrow had little trouble shutting down the Baltimore secondary as he completed 30 of his 39 passes for a season-high 392 yards. Attacking the Ravens through the air will likely be the plan of attack again, as they are allowing 7.4 yards per pass attempt, which is third-highest in the league.
His go-to for this game will be star Ja’Marr Chase, who exploded against Baltimore last time out. In Week 5, Chase had 10 catches for 193 yards and two receiving touchdowns. That was the third-highest receiving yards of his career.
While Chase has been dominant, the Cincinnati offense will take a hit, as it likely will without receiver Tee Higgins, who remains sidelined with a quad injury. He is officially listed as doubtful to play. This season, the Bengals are averaging 28.6 points per game when Higgins plays, compared to 23.3 points per game when he does, so the difference is almost six points. Even without him, the team is 1-3 compared to 3-2 with him this year.
To help pick up the slack in moving the football, Cincinnati could opt to lean on Chase Brown and the ground game. Brown posted a career-high 157 yards from scrimmage last week and has scored five touchdowns in his last six games. With Zack Moss (neck) sidelined indefinitely, the Bengals traded for Khalil Herbert, who could also factor in touches in the backfield.
When the Ravens have the ball
Baltimore has enjoyed one of the most potent offenses in the NFL through the first half of the year. A big part of that is thanks to the duo of Jackson and Derrick Henry carving up opponents on the ground. Henry already has eleven rushing touchdowns and has over 1,000 yards (1,052) on the ground. While Henry has been otherworldly this season, the Bengals sneakily contained him well for parts of their previous game before he exploded in overtime. In regulation of that Week 5 matchup, Henry had 30 yards on 11 rushes and a touchdown. In overtime, however, he had 62 yards rushing on four attempts.
If they play more like they did in regulation, it could slow Henry down a bit in this game. However, that would simply give Jackson the opportunity to drop back and pass, which he has done at an elite level this season. Currently, Jackson leads the NFL in yards per pass attempt (9.3) and passer rating (120.7) and is tied for the highest in TD-INT ratio. His outlet was Zay Flowers, who had 100 or more yards receiving in four of his last five games, including a 111-yard performance against this Bengals secondary.
Bengals vs. Raven’s most important matchup
After a slow start to the season, Mark Andrews has started to heat up in recent weeks. He has four receiving touchdowns in his last four games and is having a strong matchup this week. The Bengals have been vulnerable to opposing tight ends all season, giving up the fourth-most receiving touchdowns for the position in the league. Andrews also had a season-high 55 yards against them earlier this year. If he is unlocked for this game, combined with the continued strong play of Jackson, Henry and Flowers, it will be difficult – if not impossible – for the Bengals to slow this offense down.
Prediction
I don’t expect overtime to be needed for this match this time. The Ravens are playing too well to fade right now, and the trends are pointing favorably toward them on Thursday night. Baltimore is 4-0 ATS in their last four games against the Bengals, and Jackson historically owned this game with a 9-1 record as a starter. While the Bengals are a perfect 4-0 ATS on the road this season, it’s a bit hollow considering three of those road coverages came against the Panthers, Giants and Browns. This will be a much tougher test and we expect the Ravens to win by at least a touchdown.
Projected score: Ravens 30, Bengals 23
The choice: Raven -6
Bonus: SportsLine expert Mike Tierney is leaning toward the Under in this Thursday night game. Find out who he’s leaning towards ATS in this AFC North showdown.