Henry Roldán
The NFL regular season will end with divisional duels and one of them is the Ravens vs Bengals this coming Sunday.
Baltimore wants to retain the AFC’s top wild card spot after a 16-13 loss to the Steelers, while Cincinnati has eight wins in a row and remains on track for the race for the best record in the American Conference. It’s worth remembering that in the first game between the two the Ravens won by a slate of 17-19.
Today, at JefeBet, we bring you the best preview of the important duel between the Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals NFL Week 18 Game on January 8 2023
- Where: Paycor Stadium – Cincinnati, Ohio.
- When: Sunday, January 8, 2023 (To be confirmed).
Odds provided by BetMGM.
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Betting on the Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson’s absence has been key to the Ravens losing first place in the AFC North, and now they are hoping the QB can return to battle for the first wild card in the conference.
Baltimore is one of the best teams attacking on the ground and while in recent games they have managed to keep that constant, not having Jackson means they don’t have their best runner and, in this way, one less distraction for opponents in the aerial game. Another problem for the Ravens has been their consistency: although they are second in total rushing yards, they have only 13 rushing touchdowns, which means that in none of the last five games have they scored more than 17 points.
That inability to get into the end zone is undoubtedly the main culprit for their loss of the division’s top spot, as their defense has been flawless in not conceding more than 16 points in seven of the last eight games, including three of them by less than 10 points. The Ravens’ defense is among the seven that allow the fewest passing and rushing TDs, while they are the second-best defensive team in the red zone, allowing touchdowns on only 47.2% of their opponents’ visits.
Betting on the Cincinnati Bengals
Pending the outcome of their suspended game against the Bills, the Bengals need to win this Sunday to maintain their hopes of keeping the best record in the American Conference.
With a win against the Ravens and another win over Buffalo, Joe Burrow and company would rest the first week of the postseason. This is something that is not impossible to happen considering that Cincinnati has one of the most powerful passing offenses in the league, being seventh in total yards and second in touchdowns with 34. They also play excellent ball defense, losing the ball just 17 times, and they are the sixth-best team in the red zone, scoring on 66.7% of trips.
The defense has also done a good job and in three of their last five games opponents have not scored more than 18 points, an excellent figure considering the Bengals’ scoring ability. Additionally, they are the third defense that has received the fewest passing TDs with 17. Regarding the ground game, they are difficult to beat, something very important before their game against the Ravens: they are fifth in fewest ground yards conceded and opponents have only scored on 11 occasions in this way.
JefeBet Prediction
Given the uncertainty surrounding Lamar Jackson’s participation and whether Tyler Huntley will start at quarterback once more, the Bengals appear to be the better team for this contest. Of course, this could determine how long the matchup lasts.
With two teams that know one another well and have strong defenses at their disposal, it does not seem crazy to predict that the game will be close, especially for the Ravens, who have been playing at an exceptional level in recent contests and need the win to stay on track,
Prediction: Ravens spread (BAL 17 – CIN 23).
