by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Wednesday, Dec 22, 2021
Game Time: 1:00 pm ET, Sunday, December 26, 2021
Venue: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Where to Watch: CBS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Ravens +2.5, Bengals -2.5; Over/Under: 44.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Ravens +2.5, Bengals -2.5; Over/Under: 44.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Ravens +2.5, Bengals -2.5; Over/Under: 44.5 points
Season Record
Baltimore Ravens: 8-6 (2nd place, AFC North)
Cincinnati Bengals: 8-6 (1st place, AFC North)
Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Al McMordie has had 9 straight winning NFL seasons (2012-2020)! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.
Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Baltimore Ravens: lost at home on Dec. 19 against the Green Bay Packers 31-30.
Cincinnati Bengals: won on the road on Dec. 19 against the Denver Broncos 15-10.
Baltimore Ravens Analysis
The Ravens are coming into this game with an 8-6 record overall and they are 3-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 5th divisional matchup of the year and they are currently 1-3 in their division games this season, including a very bad loss at home to the Bengals already earlier this season. Their last win was against the Cleveland Browns but they have gone on a 3 game losing streak since then with losses coming against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Green Bay Packers in their last game. Lamar Jackson was out of that game with an injury so Tyler Huntley was the starting quarterback in that one and he completed 28/40 passes for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing with 73 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13 carries while Latavius Murray had 48 yards on 7 carries. Mark Andrews had a nice day as he led the receivers with 136 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 receptions while Marquise Brown also had 10 receptions for 43 yards. Patrick Queen led the defense in that game with 11 solo tackles and 2 assisted ones. Josh Bynes and Justin Madubuike both led the defense in sacks in that game with 1 each while no one on the defense was able to come up with an interception in that one. They have scored 334 points in their 14 games this season averaging 23.9 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 315 points against them allowing 22.5 PPG. Their offense is averaging 385.6 YPG while their defense is allowing 351.1 YPG.
Cincinnati Bengals Analysis
The Bengals are coming into this game with an 8-6 record overall and they are 3-4 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 5th divisional matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 3-1 in their division games this season. They have lost 2 of their last 3 games but are coming into this one off of a win in their last game which snapped a 2 game losing streak that they were on. Their 2 losses in that span were against the Los Angeles Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers while their win came against the Denver Broncos in their last game. Joe Burrow completed 15/22 passes for 157 yards and 1 touchdown. Joe Mixon led the team in rushing with 58 yards on 17 carries. Tyler Boyd led the receivers with 96 yards and 1 touchdown on 5 receptions. Germaine Pratt led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles and 6 assisted ones. Larry Ogunjobi led the defense in sacks in that game with 1.5 while no one on the defense was able to come up with an interception in that one. They have scored 369 points in their 14 games this season averaging 26.4 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 303 points against them allowing 21.6 PPG. Their offense is averaging 350.9 YPG while their defense is allowing 345.7 YPG.
Ravens vs Bengals Prediction
The Bengals are coming into this game as a 2.5 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Bengals have already beaten the Ravens earlier this season in Baltimore and that game was a blowout by more than 20 points. The Bengals have been inconsistent in a lot of their games but now they will be at home to face them and the Ravens are missing a lot more players in this game than they were in their last meeting. Huntley played well for the Ravens against the Packers but now that he has started and played that entire game, the Bengals will be able to come up with a great game plan to beat him. This is just a recipe for disaster for the Ravens with these current circumstances and the state of their team. The best bet to place in this game is on the Bengals to cover the spread here.
Ravens Bengals Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Sunday, December 26, 2021 (1:00 pm ET start time) is Bengals 34 Ravens 27.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NFL predictions and previews.
NFL Betting Trends
Baltimore Ravens: 11-2 ATS in games where the line is +3 to -3. 28-19 ATS in all games. 9-2 ATS as an underdog. 5-2 ATS as a road underdog. 33-17 ATS as a road underdog of 3 points or less. 15-8 ATS in road games. 22-14 ATS against conference opponents. 21-13 ATS when playing with 6 or less days rest. 10-5 ATS versus division opponents. 7-4 ATS off a non-conference game. 11-2 ATS in December games.
Cincinnati Bengals: 7-3 O/U as a favorite. 5-1 O/U as a home favorite. 5-0 O/U as a home favorite of 7 points or less. 8-4 O/U after having lost 2 out of their last 3 games. 4-1 O/U after allowing 14 points or less last game. 4-2 O/U after playing their last game on the road.
Key Injuries
Baltimore Ravens: L. Jackson (QB) Ques Sun - Ankle injury. D. Duvernay (WR) Ques Sun - Ankle injury. S. Watkins (WR) Out indefinitely - Knee injury.
Cincinnati Bengals: J. Mixon (HB) Ques Sun - Ankle injury. C. Awuzie (CB) Out indefinitely - Foot injury. V. Hargreaves III (DB) Ques Sun - Illness.
Notable Quotes
"We were just trying to go get the win right there. I think our chances of winning right there were a little bit higher than in overtime, maybe, if you calculate it out." - John Harbaugh on his team’s loss against the Packers in their last game.
"We have great players that can make plays, whenever they're there. We didn't make as many plays as maybe we would have liked, but we got the job done." - Joe Burrow on their win against the Broncos in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Baltimore Ravens
WR Watkins, Sammy
WR Brown, Marquise
TE Andrews, Mark
QB Jackson, Lamar
RB Freeman, Devonta
FB Ricard, Patrick
Cincinnati Bengals
WR Chase, Ja'Marr
WR Boyd, Tyler
WR Higgins, Tee
TE Uzomah, CJ
QB Burrow, Joe
RB Mixon, Joe
Statistical Leaders
Baltimore Ravens
Passing: L. Jackson (2882)
Rushing: L. Jackson (767)
Receiving: M. Andrews (1062)
Touchdowns: M. Andrews (8)
Cincinnati Bengals
Passing: J. Burrow (3640)
Rushing: J. Mixon (1094)
Receiving: J. Chase (1038)
Touchdowns: J. Mixon (14)
Coaches:
Baltimore Ravens: John Harbaugh (14th season)
Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor (3rd season)
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
