Ravens vs Bengals Preview & Free Pick [January 15th 2023]

By
Jay Cooper
-

Baltimore (10-7) at Cincinnati (12-4)
When: Sunday, January 15th 2023
Where: Paycor Stadium,
Cincinnati, OH
Time: 8:15 ET | TV: NBC
Opening Odds: Cincinnati -6.5/43.5

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It’s an AFC North battle this Sunday night in the AFC wild card round, as the Baltimore Ravens visit the Cincinnati Bengals from Paycor Stadium. The Ravens finished 10-7 during the regular season, but their quarterback situation is completely up in the air heading into the postseason. Starter Lamar Jackson has been out of action since Dec. 4 and backup Tyler Huntley is questionable for Sunday’s contest. It’s possible that they Ravens will go to third-stringer Anthony Brown, who started the last game at Cincinnati last week. The Bengals won that matchup 27-16 and have not lost a game since Halloween night. Cincinnati is aiming to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl for the second consecutive season. Last year, the Bengals surprised many by beating top-seeded Tennessee and second-seeded Kansas City en route to the Super Bowl.

In the first meeting between these teams on Oct. 9, it was the Ravens who pulled out a 19-17 victory at home. Jackson was under center then and was 19-of-32 for 174 yards with a TD and interception. Joe Burrow was 24-of-35 for 217 yards for the Bengals. Last week it was Brown guiding the Ravens offense and he struggled, going 19-of-44 passing for 286 yards but also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in his first NFL start. The Bengals opened as 6.5-point favorites but are now -8.5, the total is down to 40.5. The Ravens went 7-9-1 ATS this season, but 6-3 ATS on the road. Cincinnati was 12-4 ATS, while finishing in the top-10 in both offense and defense. The winner moves on to next week’s Divisional round.

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Jackson injured his knee against the Denver Broncos over five weeks ago and progress has been very slow. Jackson led the Ravens to an 8-4 record before suffering the knee injury and threw for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven picks and led Baltimore with 764 rushing yards and added another three scores on the ground. Huntley threw for 658 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in six total games, while we highlighted above what Brown did last week. In addition to Jackson, running back Gus Edwards (concussion) and long snapper Nick Moore (illness) missed Wednesday’s practice. Cornerback Brandon Stephens (illness) also sat out but is back in Baltimore after being hospitalized in Cincinnati last Sunday after becoming ill.

Cincinnati won their last eight games to claim the AFC North crown once again. They also played one less game because of their cancelled matchup against Buffalo. Burrow led the way with 4,475 passing yards (fifth-most in NFL) and 35 TDs (T-2) compared to 12 interceptions. The Bengals averaged 29 points per game during the winning streak with Burrow finding chemistry with wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase returned from a hip injury in Week 13 and recorded 40 catches for 441 receiving yards and three TDs in the final five games. In his final seven games, Higgins had 40 catches for 525 yards and four TDs. For the season, Chase had 87 catches for 1,046 yards and nine scores, while Higgins finished with 74-1029-7. Guard Alex Cappa (ankle) will miss the contest and Max Scharping will start in his place.

There’s no doubt Cincinnati should win this game. Even if Jackson was playing, the Bengals are far more superior. With Huntley, there’s a slim chance. With Brown starting, forget it. The Bengals have all the tools to make it back to the Super Bowl again and it starts with a blowout victory in the wild card round.

Wild Card Weekend Staff Selections

Pick: Bengals -8.5


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