Ravens Favored to Bounce Back Against Bengals

"The Bengals have been more exciting with Joe Burrow back in the fold, but this is a game the Ravens cannot afford to lose if they want to keep their playoff dreams alive. I'm sure Cincinnati would love to play spoiler to those hopes, but Lamar Jackson's desperation is just enough to earn a win on the road and keep Baltimore's season alive."

Adding Nuance to the Underperforming Participants

That overturned Likely touchdown was the sort of officiating controversy that did end up swinging the Ravens' most recent outing, as they lost that go-ahead score in a 27-22 loss. It allowed the Steelers to pull ahead in the divisional race, moving up to the No. 4 seed with a 7-6 record and sending the Ravens plummeting to the dregs of the Wild Card race.

And while the Bengals enjoyed their most inspiring win of the season on Thanksgiving, cleaning up in Joe Burrow's long-awaited return game, they still sit at 4-9 without much of a chance of catching up to Pittsburgh. It's a testament to the once-great division's fall that they're not eliminated from postseason contention, and they're certainly not dominant enough to have earned anything above the status of a nagging late-season upstart.

"I keep waiting for the teams that should be good to play good, and it just ain't happening. Like we're seeing with the Chiefs, the tide seems to officially be turning — at least for this season," Wes O'Donnell wrote. "Bengals play spoiler and sweep the Ravens for the first time since 2021. And even if they don't, this 2.5 is good enough insurance in a divisional home game."

Another loss to Burrow and friends would be the final nail in one of the most disappointing campaigns that most Ravens fans can recall, dropping their hypothetical divisional record to 2-3 and blowing another shot at closing the gap between themselves and the Steelers. But a win in Cincinnati would bring the team right back to a .500 record and a little bit of momentum against one of the toughest remaining schedules, and adds that much more pressure to Baltimore's season finale in Pittsburgh.