The Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) will travel this week to face the first-place Baltimore Ravens (5-1) in an AFC North showdown. The Ravens will be at home for the third consecutive week, winning their previous two matchups.
The latest NFL odds have the Ravens as 6.5-point favorites.
Let’s see if the Bengals have a chance at covering the spread against the Ravens in Week 7.
The Back and Forth Bengals
So far this season, the Cincinnati Bengals have been a little bit back and forth. In Week 3, they won convincingly on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-10.
In Week 4, the Bengals eked out a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars (who recently ended one of the longest losing streaks in the NFL). Then, at home in Week 5, the Bengals suffered a tough overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers.
They made up for it last week. Quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns against the winless Detroit Lions, resulting in a Bengals victory, 34-11.
Bengals running back Joe Mixon had a solid game, carrying the ball 18 times for 94 yards. He also caught five passes for 59 yards and one touchdown.
Four Bengals receivers averaged over 11.8 yards-per-reception. So, throwing the ball against the Lions didn’t seem to be an issue.
On the other hand, the Ravens’ defense contained Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert last week to under 200 passing yards with one touchdown and an interception.
The Chargers totaled only 26 rushing yards in their 34-6 loss to the Ravens.
So, if the Bengals can cover the spread at +6.5, they will have to run the ball successfully against a formidable divisional opponent.
Can they do it?
Bengals vs. Ravens
The Cincinnati Bengals have lost their last five matchups against the Baltimore Ravens by an average of almost 21 points. The last time the Bengals won against the Ravens was September 2018.
Just by those standards, it seems like the Ravens should have no problem covering the -6.5 spread at home this week.
Still, the Bengals have gone back and forth with winning or losing by three points in five out of their first six games. So it’s possible that betting the Bengals to cover this week isn’t such a bad idea.
Last week though, the Ravens showed that they could stop one of the best offenses in the league. After scoring 47 points against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, the Chargers only put up six against the Ravens.
That offered a clear message. The Bengals are going to have to fight to keep this game close.
Can the Bengals Score Against the Ravens?
The Bengals at +225 might be one of the most significant underdog lines they’ve faced so far this season. They came close to beating the Packers, a game where receiver Ja’Marr Chase had 159 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Chase is among the top favorites for this year’s NFL Rookie of the Year. If he can be a threat downfield, then that should open up the ground game for Mixon. The Bengals will need some big plays on offense to compete with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
I’m not sure how that’ll pan out, but I like the Bengals to cover in what should be a close game.
What do you think? Can the Cincinnati Bengals cover the spread against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7? Check out BetMGM’s King of the Weekend promo for your chance at $50,000 if you pick the top five teams with the most points.
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