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The Baltimore Ravens will try to maintain their slim lead in the AFC North standings when they open the Week 11 NFL schedule by hosting the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Baltimore (7-3) is just one-half game ahead of both Pittsburgh and Cleveland after dropping a 33-31 home decision to the Browns last Sunday. Cincinnati (5-4) is 1 ½ games back after falling 30-27 against Houston. Both teams had a four-game winning streak snapped on a field goal as time expired.
Kickoff at M&T Bank Stadium is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. Baltimore is a four-point favorite in the latest SportsLine consensus Ravens vs. Bengals odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 46. Before you make any Bengals vs. Ravens picks or Thursday Night Football predictions, you need to see what proven SportsLine expert Mike Tierney has to say, given his mastery of picks involving Baltimore.
A veteran sportswriter whose work appears periodically in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Mike Tierney has covered the NFL for decades and reported from seven Super Bowls. He is coming off a typically strong 2022 NFL season in which he went 68-54-6, returning $815 to $100 players.
In addition, Tierney is an amazing 42-17-2 on his last 61 NFL picks in games involving the Ravens, returning $2,320. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Tierney has locked in on Ravens vs. Bengals from every angle and just locked in his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Bengals vs. Ravens:
Ravens vs. Bengals spread: Baltimore -4Ravens vs. Bengals over/under: 46 pointsRavens vs. Bengals money line: Baltimore -197, Cincinnati +163BAL: Ravens have scored at least 31 points in four consecutive gamesCIN: Bengals have lost five of their last seven contests in BaltimoreRavens vs. Bengals picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Ravens can cover
Despite squandering a late 31-17 lead last Sunday to mark the ninth time it has lost after being ahead by at least seven points in the fourth quarter since 2021, the most in a three-year span in NFL history. The Ravens have been behind for a total of 28 minutes, 46 seconds this season, the least amount of time by any team through 10 games since the 1998 Denver Broncos (27:07). Baltimore had achieved this feat thanks to a defense that ranks first in the league in points allowed (15.7) and second in total yards permitted (273.6).
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens lead the NFL in rushing with an average of 154.9 yards and are fifth in scoring at 27.0 points per game. The club has recorded a league-high 19 touchdowns on the ground and hasn’t lost any of the 10 fumbles by its ball-carriers this season. Gus Edwards is tied for third in the league with eight rushing TDs, seven of which he has registered during his current four-game streak, while rookie Keaton Mitchell has had a scoring run of at least 39 yards in his last two contests. See which team to back here.
Why the Bengals can cover
Cincinnati refused to be counted out last week, as it trailed by 13 points in the third quarter and 10 late in the fourth before rallying to forge a tie with 1:33 remaining. Joe Burrow was intercepted twice in the final period but finished with more than 345 passing yards (347) for the second straight outing. The 26-year-old also threw a pair of touchdown passes to extend his streak to five straight games with multiple scoring tosses.
Ja’Marr Chase hauled in one of Burrow’s TD passes and finished with 124 yards on five receptions for his fourth 100-yard performance of the season. It also was the 11th career game with 100 yards and a touchdown catch for the 23-year-old Chase, who is tied for seventh in the league with 821 receiving yards. Running back Joe Mixon has been held under 50 rushing yards in three of his last four contests, but enters Thursday with a streak of three straight games with a TD run. See which team to back here.
How to make Ravens vs. Bengals picks
Tierney has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he’s leaning Under the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Who wins Bengals vs. Ravens on Thursday Night Football, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Bengals vs. Ravens spread hits hard, all from the expert who is on an impressive 42-17 run on picks involving Baltimore, and find out.