Thursday Night Football will kickoff week 2 in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams are coming off week 1 wins and we talk through the pro’s and con’s of making it 2 in a row and our Best Bets.
The Bengals managed to holdoff Andrew Luck and the Colts in week 1 running away with a convincing 34-23 victory. The most impressive part of the win from the Bengals was the pass rush. They consistently made life tough for Andrew Luck, sacking him twice and limiting the run game to just 76-yards. The jury is out on whether the pass rush is elite or the Colts Offensive line has the same old problems. Bengals running back Joe Mixon was outstanding running for 95-yards and a Touchdown last week, a similar stat line to the one he put up during last years Week 17 win over Baltimore. Cincinnati will host their first game of the season at Paul Brown Stadium, although the Bengals home record last year probably won’t fill you with confidence. The Bengals won only four of their eight home games in 2017, including a brutal 20-0 loss to this same Ravens side. The loss of Vontaze Burfict to his latest suspension is going to hurt in this one.
Ok its only one game, and it did come against the very average Buffalo Bills, but quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 236-yards and three touchdowns in Baltimore’s 47-3 blowout win. The Ravens feature a fierce running attack led by Alex Collins & Kenneth Dixon. The most impressive stat on a 444 point win, no player had over 50 rushing or receiving yards. That tells me this offense has multiple weapons and when Joe Flacco is on his game this team can score. The Ravens defense is no joke and if they can find a way to put up points which Andrew Luck and the Colts did against the Bengals last week they will be enough to come away with a win. I dont see the Bengals scoring more than 20 in this matchup.
The early odds have both the Ravens and the Bengals at $1.91 0r -110. In a touch defensive showing by both teams this game is low scoring and close, with the Ravens getting the edge with more offensive weapons.
Best Bet – Ravens Win $1.91 or -110
Value Bet – Ravens win, Under 44.5 $3.75 or +275
