Cincinnati (5-4) at Baltimore (7-3)
When: Thursday, November 16th, 2023
Where: M&T Bank Stadium,
Baltimore, MD
Time: 8:15 ET | TV: Prime
Opening Odds: Baltimore -3.5/46
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The AFC North is the only division in football where all four teams are above .500 for the season and two of those will meet to kick off Week 11 of the NFL season. The last place Cincinnati Bengals visit the Baltimore Ravens in hopes of keeping their division title hopes alive. The Bengals are the two-time defending AFC North champs but can forget about a repeat if they don’t beat the Ravens on Thursday. Baltimore already won the first meeting and would own the tiebreaker with Cincinnati with a season sweep.
The Ravens saw their four-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday with a 33-31 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Baltimore had leads of 17-3 and 31-17 at home but failed to put away the Browns. Cincinnati also had a four-game win streak snapped to the upstart Houston Texans. The Bengals rallied from down 27-17 in the final three minutes to tie they game, only to see C.J. Stroud lead Houston down the field for a game-winning field goal.
The Ravens earned a 27-24 road victory at Cincinnati in Week 2 when Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow was still dealing with an injury. Burrow threw for 222 yards and two scores with an interception. Burrow hit Tee Higgins for a 4-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to three with 3:28 left in the game, but never got the ball back. Lamar Jackson threw for 237 and two scores for the Ravens, while rushing for 54 yards. The Ravens are 4-point favorites in Thursday’s contest with a total of 46.
In Sunday’s loss, Burrow threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns but also two interceptions and was sacked four times. No. 1 WR Ja’Marr Chase was questionable coming in but had five catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. Higgins was out with a hamstring injury as was defensive end San Hubbard. The team’s best pass-rusher, Trey Hendrickson hyperextended his left knee in the game but practiced Tuesday in limited fashion and could try to play Thursday. The Bengals have the 30th ranked defense in terms of yards allowed per game (384.0) and are 30th against the run (136.2).
Cincinnati Bengals Injury Report [Week 11]
| Player | Pos. | Status/Updated |
|---|---|---|
| DJ Reader | DT | Prob Thurs - Knee - 11/15/23 |
| Chidobe Awuzie | CB | Prob Thurs - Knee - 11/15/23 |
| Cam Taylor-Britt | CB | Prob Thurs - Finger - 11/13/23 |
| Josh Tupou | DT | Prob Thurs - Shoulder - 11/15/23 |
| Trey Hendrickson | DE | Ques Thurs - Knee - 11/13/23 |
| Andrei Iosivas | WR | Ques Thurs - Knee - 11/13/23 |
| Akeem Davis-Gaither | LB | Ques Thurs - Knee - 11/13/23 |
| Sam Hubbard | DE | Ques Thurs - Ankle - 11/12/23 |
| Devin Harper | LB | Ques Thurs - Hamstring - 11/12/23 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | Doub Thurs - Hamstring - 11/13/23 |
| Tycen Anderson | S | Out indefinitely - Knee - 11/3/23 |
| Chase Brown | HB | Out indefinitely - Hamstring - 10/28/23 |
| Charlie Jones | WR | Ques Thurs - Thumb - 11/12/23 |
| Devonnsha Maxwell | DT | I-R - Knee - 8/19/23 |
| Devin Cochran | OT | I-R - Knee - 8/19/23 |
The Ravens lost some key players to injury led by offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Deshaun Watson also left with an injury and will now miss the rest of the season while he has surgery. Safety Kyle Hamilton had an interception return for a TD on the second play of the game, snapping Baltimore’s streak of 27 games without a defensive touchdown. Starting right tackle Morgan Moses (shoulder) has missed two straight games, but he was a full participant in practice Tuesday. Meanwhile, linebacker Kyle Van Noy (groin) and guard John Simpson (illness, shoulder) missed Tuesday’s practice.
Baltimore Ravens Injury Report [Week 11]
| Player | Pos. | Status/Updated |
|---|---|---|
| Daryl Worley | CB | Prob Thurs - Hamstring - 11/15/23 |
| Morgan Moses | OT | Prob Thurs - Shoulder - 11/13/23 |
| John Simpson | G | Ques Thurs - Illness - 11/15/23 |
| Devin Duvernay | WR | Ques Thurs - Hamstring - 11/15/23 |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | Ques Thurs - Knee - 11/14/23 |
| Kyle Van Noy | LB | Ques Thurs - Groin - 11/13/23 |
| Trenton Simpson | LB | Ques Thurs - Concussion - 11/12/23 |
| Ronnie Stanley | OT | Ques Thurs - Knee - 11/12/23 |
| Marlon Humphrey | CB | Ques Thurs - Calf - 11/13/23 |
| Jalyn Armour-Davis | CB | Ques Thurs - Illness - 11/12/23 |
| David Ojabo | LB | Out indefinitely - Ankle - 9/30/23 |
| Ar'Darius Washington | S | Out indefinitely - Chest - 9/19/23 |
| J.K. Dobbins | RB | I-R - Achilles - 9/12/23 |
| Malik Hamm | LB | Out indefinitely - Lower Body - 8/31/23 |
| Damarion Williams | CB | Late Nov - Ankle - 11/10/23 |
| Trayvon Mullen | CB | Out indefinitely - Toe - 8/4/23 |
| Tyus Bowser | LB | Out indefinitely - Knee - 8/4/23 |
| Andrew Vorhees | OL | Out indefinitely - Knee - 7/21/23 |
I’m backing the Ravens in this one. Their offense has been unstoppable lately, scoring at least 31 points in four straight games and the Bengals defense is banged up. On offense, Higgins is not expected to play, leaving the Ravens defense to key on Chase all night. The Bengals give up a lot of yards on the ground and we know Baltimore loves to run, especially with Jackson. I can see the Ravens winning this one 30-21.
Pick: Ravens -4
