Large Majority of Pundits Pick Cincinnati to Prevail in Baltimore
The line for Sunday's AFC North showdown between the Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium has fluctuated throughout the week due to uncertainty regarding Lamar Jackson's availability.
Jackson was a limited participant at practice the past two days, the first time he's been on the field since suffering an ankle injury in the first half of the Ravens' Week 4 win over the Tennessee Titans. It's still unclear whether Jackson will play or backup quarterback Tyler Huntley will make his third consecutive start.
As it stands, the Ravens are 1.5-point favorites. However, a large majority of the pundits we sampled (36 of 47) picked the Bengals to win. The disparity seems to indicate there is a general belief that Jackson either won't play or won't be 100 percent.
What's not debatable is that the Bengals, who are coming off a bye, are the healthier and more rested team.
It's still relatively early in the season, but this is a pivotal game. While all four teams in the AFC North have two losses, the Ravens and Bengals are the only two that have yet to win a divisional game. The loser of this matchup will fall to 0-2 in the division.
Here's a look at what pundits are saying about the game:
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec: "Admittedly, I have no feel for this Ravens team at this point. Part of that is because of the weekly mystery about the health status of Jackson. However, even if Jackson plays Sunday, I'd have to think he'll be pretty rusty after sitting out more than two weeks. That would make the Ravens ill-equipped to keep up with the Bengals' offense. I think the Ravens will have a hard time stopping a fresh and healthy Bengals team and Cincinnati will win."
The Bengals have the edge.
The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.: "I like the place the Bengals are headed into this game. They have all their stars fully healthy and coming off the bye week. They are still a flawed team, but this feels like a week they put it together, especially if Jackson can't go or is limited in his mobility. Baltimore could run a toss to Derrick Henry on repeat and probably rack up 27 points, but the signs point to Joe Burrow enjoying a win on Sunday."
Divergent historical trends regarding Jackson make this one tough to call.
CBS Sports’ John Breech: "Jackson has historically played well against the Bengals, but he also tends to play differently when he's coming off an injury. Just look at last year: After missing three games with a hamstring injury, he was never really the same after that. That doesn't mean he's going to struggle if he plays on Sunday, but it does mean that it's hard to predict how he might look."
The Bengals are well-equipped to slow down the Ravens' potent running game.
NFL.com's Gennaro Filice: "The last time we saw these Bengals, they were gashed on the ground, with Malik Willis, Ollie Gordon II and the Dolphins rolling up 217 rushing yards to drop Cincy's run D from eighth to 23rd (small sample sizes = big swings). But after a week of rest and review on the bye, the Bengals should be ready to put their best foot forward in Baltimore. Shoot, they better be. Despite Lamar Jackson's absence for the past two and a half games, the Ravens still rank third in the league in rushing. Jackson returned to the practice field in a limited capacity on Wednesday, opening the possibility that he could be back in the starting lineup on Sunday. But even if it's Tyler Huntley, Baltimore can still pound the rock with Derrick Henry. I just believe Dexter Lawrence and Co. are ready to pound back."
On the other hand, perhaps the Bengals are ill-equipped to slow down the Ravens' potent running game.
Russell Street Report’s Tony Lombardi: "Cleveland held Henry to a season-low 58 yards [last week]. Don't overreact. Cincinnati has allowed 155 rushing yards a game over its last three, mostly on the perimeter. Stretch them and make the linebackers run sideline to sideline. Henry needs 111 yards to pass Jerome Bettis for eighth all-time. Sunday seems like a good day to do it."
The Ravens win a close one.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport: "Lamar Jackson's ankle injury leaves his availability uncertain, but even if he sits, the Ravens are the pick here. Cincinnati had an extra week to prepare, but Zac Taylor's record as head coach off a bye (3-4) isn't great, largely because the Bengals regularly get road trips like this coming out of the off week. His road record is worse. The Ravens get after Joe Burrow, lean on Derrick Henry and win by a field goal."
The Ravens' pass rush could play a major role in the outcome.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley: "Heading into his reunion with the Bengals, Baltimore edge Trey Hendrickson has the NFL's third-best pass rush win rate at 30%, according to ESPN Analytics. Hendrickson will look to get past Cincinnati left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who has allowed two sacks in five games this season. The pass rush has proved pivotal because the Ravens have won four of six meetings against Burrow when they have sacked him three or more times."
Zrebiec Speculates on How Aggressive Ravens Will Be Ahead of Trade Deadline
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline rapidly approaching, Zrebiec said the next three weeks will dictate how aggressive General Manager Eric DeCosta will be in making additions.
After the Bengals game, the Ravens face the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills on the road and the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars on a Thursday night game at home.
"If the Ravens are able to go 2-1 or 3-0 through the gauntlet, it should be all systems go for DeCosta to do some shopping," Zrebiec wrote. "He's already acquired veteran center Cam Jurgens from the Philadelphia Eagles. The Ravens still could use some trench help. Another tight end would fit, too. Baltimore has plenty of draft capital the next two years to make at least one more move.
"However, if the team doesn't measure up over these next three weeks, DeCosta might be forced to be a tepid shopper rather than to go all-in. It would take a significant negative development for the Ravens to suddenly become sellers."
Cap space is also a factor in how active the Ravens will be in making trades.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper looked at 10 potential buyers and ranked them in terms of cap space. The Ravens were third from the bottom at $2.16 million. By way of comparison, the San Francisco 49ers have the most cap space at $41.26 million.
Jim Nantz Says Teams Squandering Double-Digit Leads Isn't Unique to Ravens
The Ravens' history of squandering double-digit leads is well-documented, with the most recent example being last week's loss to the Cleveland Browns. Of course, to squander a lead, a team has to have a lead, and the Ravens have been ahead a lot over the years.
CBS Sports play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz, who will call the Ravens-Bengals game, said that teams rallying from double-digit deficits has become a league-wide trend.
"I certainly am aware that you guys feel like you've been living with this for a long time and that the story you thought would go away with a coaching change, but the reality is this is the NFL now," Nantz said on “Glenn Clark Radio.” "It's happening all over the league. I don't know what to chalk that up to, but it's definitely more prominent than it used to be. For whatever reason, the comeback is a lot more feasible and happens far more frequently than it did 10 years ago. And I wish I could give you an answer as to why that happens. Obviously, they always make all these rules changes to help the offense."
