Ravens vs Bengals Prediction: All to play for in the AFC North

There's an all-AFC North contest for us to look forward to on Thursday night as the Cincinnati Bengals travel to the M&T Bank Stadium to take on the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens sit top of the pile with a 7-3 record, while it is the Bengals that prop up the division, yet they are 5-4 and have every chance of making the playoffs.

Both teams will have a point to prove this week, with the Bengals losing 30-27 to the Houston Texans, while the Cleveland Browns got the better of the Ravens, winning 33-31 at the death.

Match Odds

With Baltimore at home and with the superior record, they are 8/15 to win this Thursday's contest.

They have won four of their last five home games against the Bengals, with the visitors priced at 6/4 to win on the money line.

As for the handicap spread, the Ravens are 20/21 to cover the -3.5 line, while those that fancy the Bengals to keep it tight and beat the +3.5 can back them at 20/23.

The over/unders line is set at 45.5, and both under and over are 10/11 for this week's AFC North contest.

Team News

Bengals coach Zac Taylor welcomed back wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase last week from injury, and he looked back to his best during that defeat to the Texans.

Sadly, Taylor does have numerous other woes to contend with, as five of his players are listed as questionable. The likes of Chidobe Awuzie, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard have all got to pass fitness tests to feature.

The Ravens are also bruised after last week, and coach John Harbaugh is still waiting to see if Trenton Simpson, Marlon Humphrey, Devin Duvernay, John Simpson and Odell Beckham Jr. can play.

Over 42.5 points @ 4/7

These two teams have excelled on offence of late, so it is difficult to see a low-scoring contest.

Three of the last five meetings between the pair have contained 43 or more points, and both quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are in contention to win the MVP award this year.

Before their defeats last weekend, both teams had won four games in succession, so confidence should not be an issue for either side.

There is pride at stake due to this being a divisional matchup, and we expect an end-to-end shootout.

Bengals + 3.5 @ 20/23

After a slow start, the Bengals have started to find some consistency, and they should have seen off the Texans last week. Rookie C.J. Stroud continues to play to a high level, though, and he never allowed the Bengals get out of sight.

The same cannot be said of the Ravens, who were home and dry against the Browns. They surrendered a huge lead to lose 33-31, and that may have a knock-on effect this week.

While they may be able to win, they may need to settle for a field-goal success, and we fancy the Bengals to cover the spread, especially after recent wins over the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.