Cincinnati (4-5) at Baltimore (6-3)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Ravens by 6 1/2.
Against the spread: Bengals 5-4; Ravens 5-3-1.
Series record: Ravens lead 31-27.
Last meeting: Ravens won 41-38 in OT at Cincinnati on Oct. 6, 2024.
Last week: Bengals beat Raiders 41-24; Ravens beat Broncos 41-10.
Bengals offense: overall (17), rush (27), pass (7), scoring (7).
Bengals defense: overall (19), rush (18), pass (17), scoring (25).
Ravens offense: overall (1), rush (1), pass (3), scoring (2).
Ravens defense: overall (21), rush (1), pass (32), scoring (23).
Turnover differential: Bengals plus-1; Ravens plus-3.
Bengals player to watch
DE Trey Hendrickson had four sacks last week, bringing his season total to an NFL-best 11. Now the question is whether he can chase down Ravens QB Lamar Jackson.
Ravens player to watch
WR Zay Flowers was impressive as a rookie and has taken another step forward in his second season. He’s surpassed 100 yards receiving in four of his past five games.
Key matchup
Ravens RB Derrick Henry vs. the Cincinnati defensive front. The Bengals did a decent job against Henry in the first meeting between the teams — until overtime, when the powerful running back broke free for a 51-yard run to set up the winning field goal.
Key injuries
Bengals: WR Tee Higgins has missed two games with a quad injury after missing two earlier in the season with a hamstring issue. … OT Orlando Brown has missed two games with a right knee injury. …. TE Erick All Jr. injured his knee Sunday and went on IR.
Ravens: Jackson (knee) missed a couple of practices last week, but was excellent in the win over Denver. He also missed practice Tuesday, but is expected to play against Cincinnati.
Series notes
Baltimore has won the past three meetings. … Both defenses had their problems in last month’s matchup. Cincinnati scored TDs on four straight possessions before a late INT allowed Baltimore to force OT. The Ravens scored on five of their six post-halftime possessions.
Stats and stuff
The Bengals got their first home win Sunday of the season against the Raiders. … Burrow had one of his best performances of the season, going 27 for 39 for 251 yards. He threw five touchdowns for the second time this season. … Cincinnati’s Chase Brown had a career-best 120 yards rushing. … The 130 yards rushing was the Bengals’ best mark since they had 141 against Carolina on Sept. 29. … Cincinnati’s four wins have all come against sub-.500 teams. … Bengals star WR Ja’Marr Chase is first in the NFL with seven touchdown catches, second with 717 yards receiving and tied for third with 55 catches. … LB Germaine Pratt leads Cincinnati with 47 tackles. … Baltimore is 21-3 at home in prime time under coach John Harbaugh, the best record in the league. That includes an 8-0 mark on “Thursday Night Football.” … The Ravens have averaged at least 6.0 yards per play in all nine games, tying the 2000 Rams for the longest streak in a season. … Baltimore has rushed for at least 100 yards in 42 consecutive games. The NFL record is 43 by Pittsburgh (1974-77) and Baltimore (2018-21). … Jackson produced a perfect passer rating last week. He’s done that a record four times. … Jackson has led his team in yards passing and rushing 39 times. The record is 40 by Cam Newton. … Jackson has thrown 20 TD passes and two interceptions on the season. He’s the fifth QB in NFL history with at least 20 TD passes and two or fewer INTs through nine games, joining Tom Brady (2016), Drew Brees (2018), Russell Wilson (2019) and Patrick Mahomes (2020). … Baltimore has produced a league-high 48 plays of at least 20 yards — 15 runs and 33 passes. … The Ravens have been outscored 93-61 in the fourth quarter.
Fantasy tip
It’s hard to go wrong with any offensive player in this matchup, but Henry in particular has been a fantasy star, scoring in every game this season.
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