If you like making Over/Under total wagers that remove the guesswork from often difficult ATS picks, then you’re going to be treated to an expert Over/Under Total wager on the first game on the Week 2 docket. Let’s review Thursday Football Night details.
The Cincinnati Bengals will host the Baltimore Ravens in one of their two annual AFC North division battles looking to repeat their stunning season-ending win over Baltimore that kept the Ravens out of the playoffs. No matter who comes out on top in this matchup, picking the total is the objective here.
Game Information
🏈: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (Thursday Night Football)
⏰: Thu. Sep 13, 2018, 8:20 PM ET
🏟️: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
📺: NFL
🎰: Baltimore Ravens -1 -110 | -120 | O 43½ -110
Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore exploded for 47 points in their Week 1 blowout win over Buffalo and the Ravens have scored 27 or more in 5 of their last 6 games dating back to last season. The Ravens added a trio of veteran wide receivers to their roster to help a passing attack that was anemic at best a year ago.
Defensively, Baltimore is one of the top five units in the league and they showed that fact hasn’t changed throughout the preseason and in their opener. The Ravens held the Bills to a mind-boggling 33 yards and no first downs in taking a 26-0 lead into halftime in Week 1 while veteran quarterback Joe Flacco went 25 of 34 for 236 yards with three TD passes.
“Anytime you go get a win in Week 1, it’s great,” Flacco said. “Anytime you have a performance like we did, it’s great. We just have to make sure we build on this.”
Cincinnati Bengals
I picked the Bengals to win outright in week 1 at Indianapolis and that’s exactly what they did by recording a thrilling 34-23 comeback win that saw Andy Dalton engineer three fourth-quarter scores. Andy Dalton threw for 248 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while second-year running back Joe Mixon rushed for 95 yards and one score on 17 carries. Veteran wide receiver A.J. Green had six catches for 92 yards and one touchdown. The Bengals have scored 26 points or more in three straight games dating back to last season while topping the 30-point plateau in two of those contests.
Prediction
The Under 41.5 total points played out in Baltimore’s 20-0 Week 1 season-opening between these two rivals a year ago while the Over 40 total points was the pick in Cincinnati’s thrilling 31-27 season-ending win over Baltimore.
The total is 6-4 in Baltimore’s last 10 road games including 4-2 in their last six. The total is also 3-5-2 in Cincinnati’s last 10 home games but 3-0-2 in their last five. The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore’s last 7 games on the road and the total is 4-5-1 in the last 10 meetings between these two rivals when they meet in Cincinnati. The Under has been the pick in each of the last two meetings in Cincy.
With both of these longtime rivals focusing on improving their respective offenses this offseason, I like the Over as the pick for this week 2 meeting. Clearly, Baltimore’s additions to their passing attack and commitment to throw the ball more this season has been working as we saw in their five preseason games.
I also like Cincinnati’s offseason acquisitions, although I believe most of their improved play will be because of the increased production from running back Joe Mixon and fellow second-year player, wide receiver John Ross. I like the Bengals to hold down the fort at home while the Over plays out!
Predicted Score: Cincinnati 27 Baltimore 24
