Week 12 NFL Betting Lines: Cincinnati At Baltimore

Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens will look to keep their division title and playoff hopes alive when they host their hated division rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals in a Week 12 matchup that could turn out to be one of the most compelling matchups on the entire Week 12 docket. Now, let’s find out if the Ravens have what it takes to get the SU win and ATS cover.

In Depth Analysis On The Week 12 NFL Betting Lines: Bengals At Ravens

When: Sunday, November 27, 2016 at 1:00 PM ET Where: M&T Bank Stadium TV: CBS Radio: Sirius XM Radio Live Stream: CBS Sports Network NFL Odds: Baltimore Ravens -4.5 / Over/Under: 41.5    

Why Bet on Cincinnati

The Bengals (3-6-1 SU, 2-7-1 ATS) have lost two straight and haven’t won a game since October 23. Cincinnati comes into this Week 12 divisional matchup fresh off a heartbreaking 16-12 loss to Buffalo last weekend while failing to cover the spread as a 2.5-point favorite. The Cincinnati Bengals are also averaging a modest 19.9 points per game to rank 25th in scoring while giving up 22.6 points per game defensively to rank 17th in points allowed. The bad news is that Cincinnati has struggled in close games this season and will be without elite wide receiver A.J. Green (hamstring) and running back Giovani Bernard (knee). “We haven’t won close games”, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. “We’ve had opportunities in the fourth quarter of football games. We’ve had leads. We’ve had opportunities, and we haven’t closed the games out.”

Why Bet on Baltimore

The Ravens (5-5 SU, 4-6 ATS) will look to bounce back after having their modest two-game winning streak snapped in their humbling 27-17 loss to Dallas last Sunday as a 7-point underdog. Baltimore is averaging an underwhelming 19.9 points per game to rank 26th in scoring, but have limited the opposition to just 18.7 points per game defensively to rank a stellar eighth in points allowed while also ranking second in total defense (295.1 ypg). The bad news is that the Ravens have lost five straight to Cincinnati. “We respect the Bengals, obviously,” Harbaugh said. “We have not beat them for a while. It is a big game for us. It is a big challenge for us. They have always been tough for us as long as I have been here. I’m sure (they were tough) before that as well. It is a rivalry game, a division game.”

Expert Prediction and ATS Final Score Pick

For this AFC North matchup, I’m going to urge you to back the Baltimore Ravens to beat their hated division rivals for a couple of reasons, but Cincinnati to narrowly cover the spread. First and foremost, Baltimore has the big edge in coaching with John Harbaugh clearly being better than counterpart Marvin Lewis. Another reason the Ravens are the pick in this matchup is the fact that they have the better defense this season. While I don’t believe Baltimore is that much better than Cincinnati, they do have a lot more to play for as they sit at 5-5 and still within striking distance of division-leading Pittsburgh for the division crown. While Cincinnati has gone 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games against their division rivals. Baltimore has gone 2-6 ATS in their last eight games and a dismal 4-11-1 ATS in their last 16 home games overall. With the Ravens also going 2-4-1 ATS in their last seven home games against the Bengals, I say Cincy covers in a narrow loss.

Pick: Baltimore 27 Cincinnati 24