In another disastrous start to their season, the Cincinnati Bengals endured a disheartening 24–3 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns, leaving them with a 0–1 record for the second consecutive year.
On the flip side of the coin, the Baltimore Ravens demolished the inexperienced Houston Texans to get their season going in a rather smooth and historic way and lead the AFC North with an impeccable 1-0 record.
However, despite the Ravens' impressive performance and the Bengals' terrible loss, oddsmakers still don't trust the Flock and they are giving Baltimore the underdog qualifier entering the Week 2 matchup at Cincinnati. Sheesh...
Oddsmakers have set the spread at +3.5 for the Ravens, with a total point tally over/under of 46.5 points for the upcoming clash between the favorites to win the AFC North division.
Bengals' head coach Zac Taylor expressed his naive confidence that the team's offensive fortunes would soon improve.
The season opener was an absolute disaster for the Bengals, who were surprisingly led by a banged-up Joe Burrow who managed only 82 passing yards.
Zac Taylor says Bengals are "in a great place" with home opener this week. pic.twitter.com/SZx3YHTTOD
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 11, 2023
Cincinnati, now 0-1, faces the possibility of falling down 0-2 early if they lose to the Ravens on Sunday. That is nothing too crazy to think about, mind you, considering that Joe Burrow seems to be still a bit injured after he went down at the start of training camp.
Burrow never graced the training field through the summer only returning to it a few days ahead of Week 1. Burrow might be the NFL's highest-paid player, but his performance in the 24-3 loss to the Browns was akin to those of backup quarterbacks manning fourth-string roles.
Burrow put up the lowest yardage total of his career, a meager 82 passing yards, against the Cleveland Browns. The calf injury that sidelined him for six weeks of the preseason was the main reason for that.
Burrow's performance in rainy conditions included completing just 14 of 31 passes, with none of his targets surpassing 40 receiving yards.
While rain and a traditionally slow season start may provide plausible explanations for Burrow's subpar performance, it's crucial not to overlook the impact of his calf injury. This injury significantly limited his mobility, altering the dynamic of his play.
Not even then, with this injury and the 0-1 record baked into the outlook of the Bengals for Week 2, oddsmakers think the Ravens are better than Cincy. See it to believe it.