The Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North last year, and they’re poised to do so again. However, their foremost rival is waiting in week one of the new season.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, September 7th – 1:00 PM ET
Odds: Baltimore -2
Why The Bengals Will Cover
They have the better playmakers. The Bengals are a team that has a solid defensive line, but this is a team that relies more on its offense than anything else. The Bengals, for one thing, went all-in with quarterback Andy Dalton, giving him an extended, big-money deal to keep him in the fold and assure him that he’s the man for the organization. No outside competitor was brought in to challenge Dalton, who might be able to loosen up and perform at a level the team is expecting of him. Dalton is surrounded by more than enough players who can make him look good, beginning with receiver A.J. Green, one of the three or four best receivers in the NFL. Green is that special kind of player who can go up and get passes in the air, who can outrun defenders with his speed, and run very precise routes to get open without fail. Green is the best receiver the Bengals have, but he’s not the only option for this offense. Mohamed Sanu is a quality secondary receiver with a lot of speed in his own right. Tyler Eifert and Jermaine Gresham are both very talented tight ends. Giovani Bernard is so good coming out of the backfield and catching passes in open space. Dalton can distribute the ball to so many people, making the Bengals easier to defend.
Why The Ravens Will Cover
They should benefit from improved health at a couple of key positions, enough to make their offense a lot different from how it was when Baltimore lost to the Bengals in Cincinnati in the final week of the 2013 regular season. What really hurt the Ravens late in the 2013 season was the fact that quarterback Joe Flacco was injured to the point of having his mobility severely limited. Flacco was wearing a brace and could barely stand in the pocket. The same player who was the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII a few years ago lost Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta in 2013. Not having Boldin to get passes in the air, and not having Pitta as a second or third option on short-range passes and third-down situations, really took away from Flacco’s game. Now that Pitta, injured early in that 2013 season, is back and healthy, Baltimore’s passing game can come a lot closer to where it was in 2012. Flacco himself is in much better shape, so if he can dance around in the pocket, he can buy more time for himself.
The Ravens should also be confident that their defense can confuse Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton. While Dalton has led the Bengals to the playoffs the past couple of seasons, many people around the NFL are not convinced that Dalton is the answer for the Bengals at quarterback.
Outlook
If a lot of people think that Dalton is a weakness, they might be right. However, what’s underrated here is that this is not really a pick against Dalton, but for Flacco. The fact that Flacco is healthy should enable Baltimore’s offense to do so much more than what it did against the Bengals late last December. Take the Ravens here.
Pick: Ravens -2
