The NFL season has reached the half-way point and now we’ll start to weed out the real contenders from the pretenders, as the Baltimore Ravens will host the Cininnati Bengals in week 10.
The Ravens have been in good form so far this season and come into this game with a record of 6-3, while the Bengals have improved but are still struggling with a 4-5 record up to this point.
We’ll take a closer look at the match-up and provide you with our best free NFL betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash, while you enjoy the action on the field.
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After a strong season in 2023 the Ravens had a slow start to their year in 2024, as they fell to defeats in both their opening games. An opening day clash against the reigning champions Kansas City Chiefs saw them lose 20-27, before a close 26-23 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders.
But they were able to bounce back and in week three they picked up a huge win over the Dallas Cowboys, holding firm despite a fourth-quarter collapse that saw them allow 19 unanswered points to win 28-25. In week 4 they dominated the Buffalo Bills to win 35-10.
In week five they took on the Bengals on the road in an incredibly entertaining game game, where both teams held the lead before being level at 38-38 at the end. The Ravens hit an overtime field goal to claim the win and improve to 3-2
Two more wins followed in the next weeks as they beat the Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before they saw their five-game winning run ended by the Cleveland Browns in week 8 in a 29-24 defeat. They bounced back last time out though to get back to winning ways, defeating the Denver Broncos 41-10.
Cincinnati have really struggled this season, and it all stemmed from a horror start that saw them beaten in each of their first three games of the campaign.
The New England Patriots took victory in the opening game of the season with a relatively comfortable 16-10 scoreline, before a week 2 clash against the Chiefs saw them narrowly beaten 26-25. Week 3 against the Commanders saw a high-scoring game, but again the Bengals were beaten 38-33.
Week 4 saw them improve and finally get on the inning trail with a 34-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers, before their week 5 clash against Baltimore saw them lose in overtime.
Since then they have greatly improved however. A 17-7 win over the New York Giants came first at the MetLife Stadium, before they stayed strong to defeat the Cleveland Browns 21-14 for their first consecutive wins of the season.
The Philadelphia Eagles came to town next and put on a show to win 37-17 and end their winning run, but a top performance last time out saw them claim another victory by thrashing the Las Vegas Raiders 41-24 to come into this game confident.
Considering these two teams have already gone toe-to-toe this season, it’s no surprise that the Ravens are the favorites for a home game against a team they have already beaten.
In that game, Baltimore scored at least one touchdown in all four quarters and would have walked out comfortable winners had they not had huge lapses in concentration in the second and fourth quarters. Overall, they were the more dominant team and they have also had a better season to date.
They are currently slated as six-point favorites for the game, but considering how the first game between the teams went that seems a bit too high. Go for the moneyline to be more sure, but one team is far stronger and in better form so they’re the best value bet.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Even though both offenses are playing at a high level, the under seems more plausible this time.
The first game between the teams was incredibly high-scoring, however, the chances of that being replicated seem slim in the second half of the season when they know each other better and there is more at stake between divisional rivals.
So far this season, the Ravens are averaging a total of 31.4 points scored per game and are allowing an average of 24.3 points per game. Cincinnati on the other hand are averaging 26.2 points scored per game and are only allowing 25.2 points per game.
The 53-point total is high and the under makes more sense in the circumstance on a short week too, so take the under.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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