It's déjà vu, as the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals will face off from Paycor Stadium for the second week in a row. The stakes are much higher in Super Wild Card Weekend, however, as the two rivals are competing to advance in the postseason bracket.
Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson will be inactive once again as he continues to deal with his knee injury. Tyler Huntley is expected to start, although he is officially listed as questionable with shoulder and wrist injuries. The Bengals will be missing two important players as well, as offensive guard Alex Cappa has been ruled out with the ankle injury he suffered last week against the Ravens, while tackle La'el Collins is already out for the season with a knee injury.
Will Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase roll the Ravens, or will Roquan Smith and his defense lead Baltimore to an upset victory? Below, we will examine the different betting angles for this matchup. We will provide picks from both CBS Sports and SportsLine experts on this AFC showdown, as well as a few player props that we view as enticing.
All NFL odds are via Caesars Sportsbook.
How to watch
Date: Sunday, Jan. 15 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati, Ohio)
TV: NBC | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Odds: Bengals -8.5, O/U 40.5
Ravens at Bengals spread picks
"Lamar Jackson is reportedly facing an uphill battle to play on Sunday and Tyler Huntley isn't 100 percent, so the Bengals will win this game. They have momentum, while the Ravens do not. Cincinnati just defeated Baltimore 27-16 last week, and I like that this game is again in the Queen City. Another reason you should consider laying the points with the Bengals is because they went 4-0 ATS in the postseason last year -- even covering the number in the Super Bowl loss. The Bengals are actually 20-4 ATS in their past 24 games, including playoffs. That's tied for the best ATS record by any team in a 24-game span."
CBS Sports' Jordan Dajani isn't afraid to lay the points with the Bengals this weekend. To read his wild card column, click here.
"When you're the defending AFC champions, it's hard to go into the playoffs with a chip on your shoulder, but it feels like the Bengals will be going into the postseason with a chip the size of Ohio on their shoulders. Not only did the NFL hose them over with the revamped playoff format in the AFC, but the Bengals have also become the forgotten little brother in the conference thanks to the Chiefs and Bills.
"I'm not sure a 12-4 team can be considered underrated, but I'm starting to feel like the Bengals were one of the most underrated teams in the NFL this year. If you look at their record, you could easily argue that two of their four losses were somewhat flukey ..."
"The Bengals have only lost ONE game this year where all their key players were fully healthy and that came in Week 5 against the Ravens and that's one reason why this game is so interesting. I don't want to say the Ravens defense has figured out Joe Burrow, but they've certainly stepped up their game over the past 12 months. After getting embarrassed by Burrow in 2021 -- the Bengals QB averaged 470 passing yards per game against them -- the Ravens didn't even let him hit 470 yards total this year (Burrow threw for 217 in Week 5 and 215 in Week 18).
"If the Ravens can once again hold Burrow under 225 yards, then they're going to have a chance to win on Sunday, and there's definitely a good chance that could happen. The Bengals lost right guard Alex Cappa to injury in Week 18, which means they'll be missing both their starting right guard and right tackle this week (RT La'el Collins was lost for the season in Week 16). With the right side of the offensive line being completely revamped, Burrow could be facing a lot of pressure, which could keep his numbers down ..."
"I was going to flip a coin to see who wins this game, but I think the Bengals are tired of things being decided by coin flips, so I'm just going to take them. I think the Ravens defense will keep this close for three quarters, but the Bengals will pull away late."
CBS Sports' John Breech is our Bengals expert, and he's taking Cincy to win by 10 points. To read his full wild-card column, click here.
"While Cincy's defense should be able to handle [Lamar] Jackson or whoever is under center for them, the real matchup in this game will be the Bengals offense against this stout Ravens defense. Since Week 9, the Bengals have the third-best scoring offense in the NFL, while the Ravens have the second-best scoring defense. Something will need to give there and I believe it'll be Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense that ultimately wins out. Last week, Burrow completed just 59% of his passes against this defense for 215 yards and a touchdown, but the Bengals offense still put up 20 points. I don't expect Burrow to have back-to-back sluggish games, and I'm not so confident Baltimore can get north of 21 points with a limited no Jackson, especially if they are forced to start Tyler Huntley or Anthony Brown."
CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan likes the Bengals to win big this week. To read his breakdown of every wild-card game, click here.
Ravens at Bengals total picks
Before making any Ravens vs. Bengals picks of your own, you need to check out the NFL predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model. The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters Super Wild Card Weekend in the 2023 NFL playoffs on an incredible 161-113 run on top-rated NFL picks, dating back to the 2017 season. It is also on a 15-6 roll on top-rated NFL picks since Week 7 of this season.
Now, the model has broken down Ravens vs. Bengals from all angles. We can tell you the model is leaning Over the point total, and it also says one side of the spread cashes in well over 50% of simulations. To check out what the model has to say, head on over to SportsLine.
"The Ravens went 5-12 to the Over this season, while the Bengals went 6-9-1. These two teams combined for 43 points last week, with only three points being scored in the fourth quarter. With this being the lowest total on the board this weekend and the expected return of Huntley, I lean to the Over." -- CBS Sports' Jordan Dajani
Player props
Evan McPherson made field goals: Over 1.5 (-139). Last year's postseason legend is back in the playoffs, and I say he makes two field goals this weekend. He made two field goals against the Ravens in Week 18, and has made at least two in nine-of-16 games played this season.
Roquan Smith tackles: Over 9.5 (-129). A defensive prop?! Absolutely. This week, the Ravens made Smith the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history, and the first off-ball linebacker to make $20 million per season. He's going to attempt to show out on Sunday. Smith has also crossed this number in three out of his last four games. Remember, this is combined tackles.
SGP: Joe Mixon anytime TD + Bengals ML = +125
