Sunday Night Football features a pair of AFC North rivals as the Baltimore Ravens (2-2, 0-2 home) welcome the Cincinnati Bengals (2-2, 1-1 away) to Maryland. Cincinnati swept the Ravens last season, blowing out Baltimore in both meetings.
The kickoff for Sunday’s battle is at 8:20 p.m. EST inside M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore is a 3.5-point favorite, and the over/under total is 48.0 points.
What to Know – Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals lost a pair of heartbreakers to start the season but battled back to an even record over the last two weeks with victories over the Jets and Dolphins. Cincinnati is tied with Baltimore and Cleveland through the first four weeks of play.
After throwing four interceptions in the season opener, Bengals’ starting quarterback Joe Burrow has thrown six touchdowns, and no picks over the last three contests. The third-year gun-slinger is completing 64.1% of his passes for 1,099 yards and sits second on the team in rushing with 79 yards and a score.
Joe Mixon handles nearly all the carries out of the backfield for the Cincinnati rushing attack. The Bengals have carried the ball 82 of Cincinnati’s 117 rushing attempts, tallying 224 yards and one touchdown.
Burrow uses all his pieces in the passing game to his advantage. Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase have over 20 receptions this season, while Tyler Boyd, Mixon, and tight end Hayden Hurts are in double digits. Higgins, Chase, and Boyd each have two touchdowns apiece.
What to Know – Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore could easily be undefeated, but a pair of late scores in the closing seconds of games have dealt the Ravens a pair of losses. Both losses have come at home, as Baltimore is still looking for that first home win.
Lamar Jackson continues to electrify the league with his arm and legs, totaling 1,209 yards of offense and accounting for 13 touchdowns. Jackson has completed 65% of his passes, throwing 11 touchdowns and rushing for two.
J.K. Dobbins returned to the field last week after missing an extended period of time with a torn ACL in the final preseason game of 2021. Dobbins looked solid in his debut, carrying the ball 20 times for 64 yards and catching six passes for 39 yards. He scored two twice, one rushing and one receiving.
Tight end Mark Andrews has been Jackson’s favorite target. Andrews has been targeted 36 times, catching 24 passes for 260 yards and three scores. Wideouts Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay have combined for 23 receptions, 415 yards, and five touchdowns.
The Pick is In
Cincinnati owned the Ravens last year, and many of the same pieces still have a locker in the Bengals’ locker room. Baltimore is a tough team to face at home in primetime, but the defending AFC champions getting more than a field goal is something we will roll with.
The Pick: Cincinnati Bengals +3.5
