Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals Wild Card Betting Preview

The NFL regular season is finally complete, and the long-awaited NFL playoffs have finally arrived! In the second straight week, we’ll see the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. There is still some uncertainty for both teams this week leading up to the AFC Wild Card matchup. 

The Bengals seem to have their depth chart, but their doubt may form around the offensive line who has suddenly lost highly sought-after free agent tackle La’el Collins and now guard Alex Cappa in what feels like a blink of an eye. 

On the Ravens side, quarterback Lamar Jackson will not play. This would give Tyler Huntley the first playoff start of his career.

🏈 Looking for Ohio specials to bet on during the NFL playoffs? Visit betJACK today to get started! 🏈

Huntley And His Potential

 Huntley, who is a talented quarterback in his own right, will have the tough task of facing the Cincinnati defense that has turned up the gas in the second half of the season. 

The Bengals defense will rely on Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard to get after Huntley and keep him contained in the pocket as Huntley has the elite-level scrambling ability. The Bengals also boast a top five rushing defense that should look to stall J.K Dobbins and Gus Edwards. 

Bengals Look Promising

The Bengals offense will also have a challenging task of the always stout Ravens defense. The Raven's secondary also boasts a weapon in Marlon Humphrey, who will most likely be tasked with following Ja’Mar Chase around the field. 

The Bengals open as favorites in this AFC North clash. The Ravens moneyline currently sits at +360, and the spread seems to be everchanging leading up to the game, with it now staying at -8.5. 

The coaching battle in this game will be a highly focused aspect of the game. Zac Taylor and John Harbaugh both have Superbowl experience, with the latter bringing a Lombardi home in the past. Bring in the talented Bengals defensive coordinator in Lou Anarumo, and this game should be a chess match. 

Weather conditions appear to be perfect for this matchup, so we'll get to enjoy two of the best kickers in the league in Justin Tucker and Evan McPherson, as they kick in playoff-level tension. 

The fanbase in Cincinnati is hungry for another deep playoff run and will be louder than usual as their Bengals team vies for what could be another AFC north championship. The Ravens fanbase, while equally loyal is looking to see what product their team puts out on the field in a game that will not include their unsigned and possibly disgruntled franchise quarterback. 

If Tyler Huntley pulls off a miracle and upsets the defending AFC North champions on the road, moving on from Lamar Jackson could become a lot easier for the Ravens front office and coaching staff. If the Ravens get blown out with no real offensive threat at quarterback, Lamar may get his payday before the game even ends!