The Baltimore Ravens are headed to Cincinnati to take on their division rivals. What will happen? Here are three predictions for Ravens vs. Bengals:
1. It will be more frustrating than you want it to be:
I’m not predicting a loss in this game. The Ravens just beat the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots and are on cloud nine. The Ravens are too good of a team to expect anything less than a win here. I don’t think it’s a trap game, yet it is a game on the road against a divisional rival when the team is quite pleased with themselves. The Bengals are starting Ryan Finley which may be better for the Ravens yet it’s new and uncharted territory. A.J. Green is supposed to be back on the field and he always has to be taken seriously by the Ravens. The Ravens must be diligent in this game.
The Ravens have played three divisional games so far. They got a wake up call from a Browns team that needed one themselves. They scraped by the Steelers and the Bengals kept it close last time, even if the Ravens controlled the game. I haven’t seen what the odds makers think of this game, though I don’t really need to see the spread. The Ravens will be heavily favored to be a win free team after taking down the Patriots. Ravens fans want to see their team make this game easy. I’ve watched enough Ravens games to know that isn’t something this team does often in this spot. History says this game will be annoyingly competitive.
The Bengals have had four losses this season where it was a one score game. The Bengals gave the Ravens a challenge in October and they went toe to toe with the Seahawks in September. They shouldn’t get their first win against the Ravens. That doesn’t mean the Ravens can go through the motions and look ahead to their tougher games. Give me the Ravens to win this game 28-17 after pulling away in the second half.