NFL Free Pick: Ravens vs Bengals
Scott Morris | September 13, 2018
Week 2 of the NFL regular season kicks off with a Thursday Night Football AFC North showdown when the Baltimore Ravens visit the Cincinnati Bengals. Last year, the Ravens were eliminated from playoff contention in the final seconds of the last week of the regular season by the Bengals when Cincinnati scored a touchdown.
The current line on top sportsbooks has Cincinnati (-1) favored with the over/under point total on 45.
Baltimore opened the 2018 regular season last week with a rout of the Buffalo Bills 47-3. Three new wide receivers for the Ravens Michael Crabtree, Willie Snead and John Brown each caught a Joe Flacco touchdown pass.
Alex Collins, Javorius Allen and Kenneth Dixon each scored rushing touchdowns last week for the Ravens, while backup signal caller Lamar Jackson rushed for 39 yards. Dixon may not play on Thursday due to an injured knee.
On defense, the Ravens allowed the fewest points of any team as well as yards, while forcing two turnovers and sacking the quarterback six times.
Baltimore defensive back Tavon Young became the first Ravens member of the secondary in the last 22 yards to post two sacks in the same game.
For Cincinnati, quarterback Andy Dalton did not let an early interception affect his passing game as he threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the Bengals 34-23 Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon had 149 yards from scrimmage, with 22 carries for 95 yards and five receptions for 54 yards. Wide receiver A.J. Green caught six passes for 92 yards and one touchdown against the Colts, but last season in two games against the Ravens caught just a combined seven receptions for 90 yards.
Cincinnati linebacker Preston Brown hopes to play Thursday despite suffering an injury to an ankle during last week’s season opener against the Colts.
Bengals linebacker Nick Vigil, who led the team in tackles with 11 in Week 1, had 10 tackles and one interception in Cincinnati’s 20-0 loss last season in the first of two meetings between the division rivals.
Prediction: Both teams are expected to battle with Pittsburgh for supremacy in the AFC North. Both played well on offense in Week 1, while the Ravens defense played superior to the Bengals defense, but Baltimore was facing the lowly Bills and Cincinnati had its hands full with Andrew Luck and the Colts. Look for late heroics by the Bengals to win again 24-21. Bet this pick now at highly rated sportsbook.
