The majority of pundits are picking the Ravens to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5 on Sunday.
Here’s the roundup
Analysis: “After a slow start, the Ravens are playing their best football and are coming off an impressive 35-10 win against Buffalo. The Ravens have a blueprint for success — running the football and playing tough defense. The Bengals have been disappointing and are giving up big plays. The Ravens have also had success against Burrow, while Jackson is 3-0 as a starter against Cincinnati.” Todd Karpovich
Prediction: Ravens 31, Bengals 23
Analysis: “Cincinnati has seen this movie before, and it’s been a tearjerker for the Queen City almost every time — Jackson is 8-1 as a starter against the Bengals and has averaged 69.6 rush yards per outing in his 10 total games played against them. That happens to be the most by any QB versus any team all-time (minimum 10 games). No, I don’t see the script getting flipped this time.” Dan Parr
Predictions: Parr: Ravens 28, Bengals 24; Ali Bhanpuri: Ravens 27, Bengals 23; Brooke Cersosimo: Bengals 27, Ravens 24; Gennaro Filice: Bengals 35, Ravens 31; Tom Blair: Ravens 27, Bengals 23
Analysis: “The Bengals are the more desperate team as they attempt to dig themselves out of a self-imposed hole. The Ravens look like they could be a buzzsaw with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Baltimore predictably has the NFL’s top rushing offense. The Ravens’ pass defense, however, is going to be put to the test.” Tyler Dragon
Predictions: Dragon: Ravens 28, Bengals 27; Lorenzo Reyes: Ravens 26, Bengals 19; Jordan Mendoza: Ravens 27, Bengals 20
Analysis: “This is where the season really begins for the Bengals. They know the importance of AFC North play and they’ll be ready to take care of business against Lamar Jackson and Co. It will be a close game that won’t be a high-scoring affair.” Kelsey Conway
Predictions: Conway: Bengals 24, Ravens 21; Jason Williams: Ravens 31, Bengals 24; Charlie Goldsmith: Ravens 30, Bengals 28; Jason Hoffman: Ravens 28, Bengals 17
Analysis: “The Ravens’ dominant win over the Bills last week was one of the most impressive performances of any team this season. They limited a Bills team that was averaging 37.3 points per game entering Week 4 to just 10 points. They were also completely unstoppable on the ground. Even without his 87-yard touchdown run on the game’s first play, Henry still averaged 4.87 yards on his other 23 carries. Lamar Jackson is 9th in the league in rushing – as a quarterback – and is averaging a career-high 7.5 yards per carry.” Noah Rosenstein and R.J. White
Prediction: Ravens 26, Bengals 21
Analysis: “Can the Bengals’ defense slow down Baltimore’s offense? (Probably not.)”
Predictions: Mike Florio: Ravens, 31, Bengals 27; Chris Simms: Ravens, 34, Bengals 28.
Analysis: “The Ravens should be licking their chops with Derrick Henry to keep going nuts against the Bengals’ No. 25 run defense. There’s also a chance to bury their AFC North rivals early in the division race. But Joe Burrow got Cincinnati off the mat last week, and with his full cadre of receivers, he can find some good matchups to exploit in the passing game. The division race is meant to be long with emotional twists and turns, and this is the first one.” Vinnie Iyer
Prediction: Bengals 27, Ravens 24
