The Ravens got their 2018 off to a big start when they mauled the Buffalo Bills 47-3 in week 1 of the 2018 NFL season. Quarterback Joe Flacco looked sharp, completing 25 out of 34 passes for 236 yards. Flacco threw three touchdown passes, one to each of his new receivers: John Brown Michael Crabtree and Willie Snead IV. The game was so out of reach early that Flacco headed to the bench as early as the third quarter of action.
Baltimore’s defense was also excellent against Buffalo as they did not allow the Bills to get a first down until midway in the third period when the game was already decided. The Ravens also sacked quarterbacks Nathan Peterman and Josh Allen three times each. Tavon Young had two of those sacks while C.J. Mosley had five tackles.
In their infamous Week 17 loss to the Bengals last season, Baltimore allowed Andy Dalton to throw for 236 yards and 3 touchdowns while yielding 96 rushing yards to Joe Mixon. For Baltimore to win, their defense must be as sharp as it was on opening week but that won’t be as easy against a quality team like the Bengals. Baltimore is looking for its third straight 2-0 season start.
Cincinnati also won their season opener as they traveled to Indianapolis to beat the Colts 34-23. Andy Dalton went 21-28 for 243 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. A.J. Green gained a total of 92 yards on six catches with one touchdown but had a fumble which the Colts converted into a touchdown.
Sophomore running back Joe Mixon ran for 95 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown. Mixon also added 54 receiving yards on five catches. He is expected to play a big role on Thursday as the Bengals hope to test and tire a Ravens defense that struggled against the run last year at 116 yards per game allowed.
The Bengals’ secondary had a hard time against the Colts last week as they gave up 319 yards and two touchdowns to Andrew Luck who was playing his first regular season game since 2016. That pass defense will have to do better on Thursday or else Flacco might just torch them.
The Ravens are 6-2 SU in their last eight games but are only 4-10 SU in their last 14 games away from their home field. Cincinnati is 4-2 in their last six games at home. Against the Bengals, they have won just twice in their last nine meetings in Cincinnati.
Sure, Baltimore has won just once in Cincinnati in their last five tries and that dates back to 2011. But that win happened last season, when they blanked the Bengals 20-0 in September 2017. Sure, the Bengals beat the Ravens 31-27 in Week 17 of last season which cost Baltimore a trip to the postseason. But had the Ravens not surrendered a long pass on a 4th down late in the 4th quarter, they would have taken that game too.
The Bengals were impressive with their road win over the Colts in week 1. But these Ravens proved their preseason hype with arguably the best performance on opening week. Playing the Bengals in Cincinnati though is a lot more difficult than mauling the Bills at home. But the Ravens have enough on both sides of the field to win this one. And yes, I don’t think they have forgotten last season’s Week 17 defeat so that should give Baltimore added motivation. We’re picking the Baltimore Ravens to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on 9/13/18.
The over/under line for this game has been set at 44 and it may be another bet you want to make as the total has gone Under in three out of the last four meetings between these teams.
Thursday games mean that teams have a short time to prepare and a shorter resting period after their previous game. That’s the reason why as the season progresses, Thursday Night Football often leads to sloppy play from either or both teams. The Ravens scored 47 points on opening night but that was against, well the Buffalo Bills. These are two defensive oriented teams and we think that this is going to be drag it out style game.
Aside from the game bets, Sportbetting.ag also has several Player Prop Bets available for betting. Here are a couple which we found very interesting:
Joe Flacco has passed for more than 222 yards against the Bengals in three out of his last five games against them. Meanwhile, Andy Dalton has tallied at least 220 passing yards against Baltimore in eight out of his last 9 games against the Ravens with the only exception the 2017 game which the Bengals lost 0-20.
Alex Collins had only 7 carries in week 1 but has at least 18 carries in three of his last five games played including 20 carries against the Bengals on 1/1/18. On the other hand, Joe Mixon had 17 carries last week and 18 during these team’s final meeting of last season. Collins’ has more competition in snaps and touches this season. Meanwhile, the Bengals are likely going to MIxon more in this game because the Ravens struggled against the run last season.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
