|Kyle Goon||Ravens 31, Bengals 21: “As long as Kyle Hamilton can play (and we know Cincy sack artist Trey Hendrickson cannot), I think the Ravens have enough to get it done against a beat-up Bengals group. Expect Chase to get heavy production, even if Baltimore can bracket him (gosh, these guys need to tackle him), but if Jackson and Derrick Henry can get a rhythm going against one of the worst defenses in football, it should be enough.”|
|Giana Han||Ravens 24, Bengals 17: “After what we saw last week, I’m tempted to choose the Bengals, especially with Joe Burrow’s return. But I can’t overlook the losses of Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson, which have a major impact on both sides of the ball for the Bengals. I expect this to be ugly, a step above the games you all might be playing in your backyards to commemorate this football holiday.”|
|Paul Mancano||Ravens 29, Bengals 24: “This should be a get-right game for the Ravens offense ... right? Cincinnati’s defense is truly atrocious — dead last in points per game allowed — and playing without superstar Trey Hendrickson. Even if Lamar Jackson is less than 100%, surely the dark cloud over Todd Monken’s unit will lift.”|
|Jonas Shaffer||Ravens 27, Bengals 24: “Joe Burrow’s readiness after a lengthy layoff is the big unknown here, but if Kyle Hamilton’s healthy enough to play, the Ravens’ defense should have enough answers against a Bengals offense missing Tee Higgins. If another iffy defense holds the Ravens under 24 points, however, it’s time to hit the panic button in Baltimore.”|
|Chris Korman||Ravens 31, Bengals 25: “It will be closer than it should be, but the Ravens will keep the streak going (as long as Lamar Jackson does not discover another part of his leg to injure early in the evening).”|
|Childs Walker||Ravens 27, Bengals 24: “It’s going to be a tense night at M&T Bank Stadium as the Ravens try to hold on to first place against an opponent with nothing to lose. Their defense will get enough stops, and they’ll hit a few explosive plays to pull it out, but this won’t be the complete performance we’ve been looking for.”|
|Brandon Weigel||Ravens 28, Bengals 17: “With a historically bad defense, the Bengals allow 156 rushing yards per game (31st in the NFL), so why not hit them in the mouth with old-school power football? Throw in quick hitters and screen passes to keep things balanced, and run the win streak to six.”|