Our Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals prediction takes a look at the Super Wild Card Weekend matchup that features a strong AFC North rivalry. Let’s dive into the current NFL betting odds, key storylines to watch, and make a prediction for the game. Note that all odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Monday, Jan. 9.
Ravens vs. Bengals Odds
- Spread
Bengals -6.5 - Moneyline
Bengals -275, Ravens +230 - Over/Under
43.5 points
Ravens vs. Bengals Prediction
It hasn’t been pretty for the Ravens over the past couple of weeks, but they now find themselves in the 2022-2023 NFL postseason with a matchup against their division rival, the Bengals.
These two teams just squared off in Week 18, which resulted in a resounding victory for Cincinnati, but it’s important to note that several key players for Baltimore were not out there. Lamar Jackson has been sidelined since Week 13 with an injury, Tyler Huntley was inactive due to an injury, and Mark Andrews also watched from the sideline.
The final 27-16 result is not surprising given those circumstances, but Baltimore needs to find a way to get healthy quickly before their rematch against Cincinnati in just a few short days.
The key for the Ravens winning this matchup against a red-hot Bengals team is entirely dependent upon having Jackson back at QB. If Jackson is not deemed healthy enough to play just yet, Baltimore simply lacks the explosiveness on offense to keep up with Cincinnati.
MORE: Early NFL Wild Card Round Predictions and Picks Against the Spread
However, if Jackson is able to come back and is at 100%, he has the playmaking ability to single-handedly will the Ravens to the Divisional Round of the postseason. The practice reports from later on in the week are going to be crucial to monitor.
As for Cincinnati, they have now won the AFC North for the second straight season and are riding into the postseason on a remarkable winning streak. The Bengals have defeated their previous eight straight opponents — excluding the canceled game against Buffalo — and ended the season with a 12-4 record.
There may not be a more dangerous team going into the 2022-2023 NFL playoffs than the Bengals. Their offense is firing on all cylinders, the defense is an incredibly well-rounded unit, and they have postseason experience with their run to the Super Bowl last season.
Cincinnati just took care of this Ravens team last week, but Baltimore was missing several key pieces on offense. They’ll have a tough test on defense if Jackson suits up at QB for Baltimore, but they should find success moving the ball on the Ravens’ defense with their passing game.
As long as Joe Burrow is active and he has his trio of playmakers at WR, they should easily hit their Vegas implied team point total (and potentially more) going up against the defense that’s allowing the seventh-most passing yards this season.
If the rest of the league isn’t careful, we could see a repeat trip to the Super Bowl for the AFC North champions.
Ravens vs. Bengals Score Prediction
Bengals 24, Ravens 17