Crows are the unanimous choice to defeat Bengals
A month ago, the Ravens’ post-season hopes were in serious jeopardy after a three-game losing streak lowered them to 6-5. Their list was devastated by the biggest outbreak of COVID-19 in professional sports and injuries to key players.
The resilient Ravens (10-5) responded with four consecutive wins and put themselves in position to secure a spot as an AFC wild card with a victory over Bengals (4-10-1) in Cincinnati on Sunday.
All 45 experts we examined believe that the Ravens will do just that.
In early 2021, the 2020 Ravens and the current NFL MVP, Lamar Jackson, look like the 2019 versions of themselves, when they were the most dominant team in the league. There is every reason to be sure that the Ravens will take care of business in Cincinnati. Baltimore, who are 12 points clear, are 41-0 as a double-digit favorite in the regular season.
Bengals, however, cannot be overlooked, despite its history. They disturbed the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago and won a firefight against the Houston Texans last week. In addition, as noted in yesterday’s Late for Work, Cincinnati won 12 in a row and 17 of the last 18 by entering his final at home with a losing record.
* In the same situation, three years ago, at M&T Bank Stadium, Cincinnati caused a shocking turnaround for the Ravens to keep them out of the playoffs. But experts don’t see that happening again. *
Here is an example of what the experts are saying about the game:
The Ravens are reaching their peak just in time.
Marcus Spears of ESPN: “They have reached another level. They have realized who they are. Ground and pound, they allow Lamar Jackson to be the best player on the field and they are getting healthy in defense. … This defense has a chance to be one of the dominant units to as the playoffs arrive. I’m choosing the Baltimore Ravens to win [Sunday], enter the playoffs and make some noise. “
Chris Simms from Pro Football Talk: “Like the Ravens’ attack, the Baltimore defense is also starting to peak. They have returned to the point where they are very healthy on the defensive side of the ball and I think they are entering Week 17 and the playoffs are playing the best football they can. I’m going with Baltimore to dominate this game. “
Baltimore Sun CJ Doon: “The Ravens are simply playing very well now in all three phases, moving up to ninth in overall efficiency after their fourth consecutive win. Viewed through the lens of the expected added points, the Ravens are on a par with the main contenders, like Buffalo Green Bay and Kansas City. With a playoff spot in play, the Ravens will not take Bengals lightly. “
Even though the Bengals have played well in attack in the past two weeks, their defense will not be able to stop the Ravens.
Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com: “Brandon Allen is a competent and stealthy reserve defender and the Bengals are competing a lot. But there is little reason to believe that a defense that has just given 488 yards to the Texans will be able to slow the Ravens’ reformed spreading attack. Jackson discovered his mojo just in time to make the AFC playoffs much more interesting. “
Pete Prisco from CBS Sports: “The racing game remains strong [the Ravens], which will be the case here. The Bengals are not going to delay Lamar Jackson. Crows catch. “
The Ravens are clearly the top team on both sides of the ball.
Matt Vederame from Fansided: “Ravens tend to crush bad teams. This is what happens when you run the ball excellently and the defense is built to dominate poor defenders. It should be no different.”
Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk: “I think the Ravens are so good at this point that even though the Bengals are playing at full capacity, the Ravens are still able to do that.”
With how fierce the Ravens pass race has been in recent weeks, it can be a long day for Allen.
Aaron Kasinitz of Penn Live: “Defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale is sending a variety of players to the defenders, making it possible for eight different players to have at least one sack in the last two games. This pressure helped Baltimore to resist injuries from defenders Marcus Peters and Jimmy Smith, and that can scare offensive coaches in Cincinnati. When they eliminated the Bengals 27-3 in October, the Ravens saw a record of five different members of their secondary record a serve. If Cincinnati doesn’t start his game and ends up in passing situations frequently, the Martindale group can turn Sunday’s game into an ugly one. “