Two teams with designs on the Super Bowl meet in southern Ohio on Sunday. But the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals both need to shore up their defenses if they hope to get out of a challenging division. The Ravens are small favorites on the road in this meeting of contenders that have had slow starts to the season.
The Bengals secured their first win last week when they overcame the Panthers. Cincy is scoring like a playoff team (third in the AFC in total yards), but the defense is allowing 145.5 yards per game on the ground (bottom 10 in the NFL). Few teams can simply outscore opponents, especially when the other side is pounding the ball and beating up the defensive unit.
Quarterback Joe Burrow has turned around the Bengals franchise since being taken No. 1 overall in 2020, but the Ravens have proven to be a tough out for the former LSU star. Burrow is 3-4 lifetime against the Ravens.
The Ravens have righted their ship by winning twice following an 0-2 start. But this division matchup will test their surprisingly shaky defense, which finally showed up last week in an impressive 35-10 thrashing of Buffalo.
The Bengals are allowing 26 points per game, which doesn’t bode well for facing Lamar Jackson. Jackson has, at times, taken over in the last two weeks to get his team much-needed wins. Jackson has a touchdown on the ground in each of the last two weeks and, for the most part, has managed the passing game with aplomb, with only one interception so far this season.
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Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals odds
How to watch Ravens vs. Bengals
- Venue: Paycor Stadium — Cincinnati
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
Expert picks for Ravens vs. Bengals
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(Photo of Joe Burrow: Matt Kelley / Getty Images)
