The Baltimore Ravens look to avenge an early season loss to Cincinnati at home when they go on the road against the Bengals as a -3 favorite. The gambling public is backing Baltimore heavily at 85 percent and the Ravens are the second most bet on team this week after Green Bay heading into Thursday. Sportsbetting.com was offering odds on this game.
Last week the Ravens gave Denver their first loss of the 2009 regular NFL season. Cincinnati, meanwhile, destroyed Chicago at home by a score of 45-10 and amazingly lead the AFC North division along with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were a huge underdog to win the division early on in the season but have proven to be one of the biggest surprises of 2009.
From NFL.com:
In their three losses this season -- all close games that came down to the wire -- the Ravens are passing the ball on 69.5 percent of their offensive plays. In their four wins, they are passing the ball just 49.3 percent of the time. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has done a great job of grooming Joe Flacco, but he must try to maintain balance in his play-calling.
Earlier this year, Cedric Benson became the first player to rush for over 100 yards against the Ravens since 2006. His production on the ground allowed Carson Palmer to use play-action and keep the Ravens' defense off balance. It will be tough for Benson to duplicate his effort from the first game, but if he does, it will give the Bengals a decided edge.
Cincinnati is 7-3 over the last 10 in this series. They've won 3 of the last 4 at home in the series with the last game played a loss. The Bengals have won 4 of the last 6 as well.
Some important Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals odds trends to consider before betting on this game:
The Ravens are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing less than 150 yards passing in their previous game.
The Ravens are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games as a favorite.
Baltimore is 13-4 ATS in their last 17 games following a Straight Up win.
The Ravens are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 vs. AFC
The Ravens are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.
Baltimore Ravens is a 11-5-1 ATS in their last 17 games as a favorite of 0.5-3.0.
The Ravens are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games as a road favorite, which is the only negative trend for Baltimore coming into this one.
The Bengals are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog of 0.5-3.0.
Bengals are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog.
The Bengals are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games following a ATS win.
The Bengals are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 vs. AFC.
The Bengals are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games following a bye week.
Some of the wise guy shops have dropped the line down to -2 ½, which tends to suggest they believe the dog can cover here. None of the books have moved above -3.
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Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
