NFL 2024/25: Ravens – Bengals
The bookmakers with Apple Pay assign the home side the clear favorite role in this AFC North clash. And honestly? I can’t blame them, because “Purple Pain” is getting better and better.
My Ravens Bengals tip revolves solely around Derrick Henry. Because what the best running back in the NFL is currently capable of is taking even many experts’ breath away!
All right, let’s delve deeper into the Ravens’ and Bengals’ form curves and take the whole thing apart. The Bengals are hot, no question: Fresh off a 41-10 triumph over the Broncos, they have overrun their opponents in impressive fashion.
They put almost 396 rushing yards on the board, giving Denver hardly any breathing room. They managed a whopping 7.3 yards per play – a real demonstration of power.
If they keep up this pace, they could soon become a serious factor in the AFC. Leading this offensive force is none other than Derrick Henry, the running wonder himself.
Simply put, give Henry the ball and he’ll rack up yard after yard – exactly the type of player to keep an eye on in the upcoming matchup against the Ravens.
Just get real, darlings: What Henry is delivering this season is almost historic.
Because “King Henry” has become the tenth player in NFL history to break the 100 career rushing touchdowns mark and the only one to score a touchdown in every game in his first nine games for a team.
This man is stacking up records! With 21 games in which he scored over 100 rushing yards and at least two rushing touchdowns, he already ranks third on the all-time list in this category – Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown and LaDainian Tomlinson are his only rivals in this discipline.
Henry is a powerhouse who challenges every opponent and is well on course to join the ranks of the legends. If he continues to perform like this, he could become the fourth player in the Super Bowl era to lead all major rushing categories in a season.
So not only is he a weapon against the Bengals, he’s also one of the most important factors to keep in mind when making your Ravens Bengals picks.
But with all due credit to Henry, what about the Bengals themselves? Yes, they beat the Raiders 41-24, but their season hasn’t been that glorious so far.
With a 4-5 record, they are under pressure to win, and they desperately needed to get that win against the Raiders. It’s important to remember that none of their wins so far have been against a top NFL team.
If you look at the list of opponents, you see Panthers, Giants, Browns and Raiders – no comparison to the group of actual NFL favorites 2024.
You can win against such opponents, of course, but is that enough to be the favorite in a duel with Baltimore? Hardly. The Ravens are the clear favorites here, and if they play to their strengths, it’ll be tough for Cincinnati.
Luckily, there’s already a precedent for this AFC North hate-fest this season! That makes my Ravens Bengals pick easier!
Because the first meeting took place on October 6 and ended in one of the most spectacular games of the season with 41:38 only after overtime in favor of the Ravens.
The fact that “Purple Pain” didn’t dominate back then is irrelevant to me, because I have complete faith in King Henry.
On the day in question, Henry put on a truly gala performance, gaining 92 yards and scoring a touchdown!
Since Baltimore also has the home field advantage this time, the running back should even be able to cover a few extra yards per attempt.
Conclusion: My Ravens Bengals prediction leaves little doubt that Baltimore should have the edge here
The Ravens will focus entirely on their great strength: the continuous running game. Especially against the Bengals, who are traditionally vulnerable against the run, this is likely to be their most successful tactic.
In addition, Baltimore’s defense is now stronger compared to the close game in Week 5 and thus forms a more solid unit that can better counter Cincinnati’s offensive efforts.
While the Bengals have stabilized, they still lack the tools to contain someone like Derrick Henry.
He’ll demand a lot from the Bengals again, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him power his way to another game of touchdowns and big yardage.
Given all these factors, a close outcome is unlikely – Baltimore is the clear favorite here and should be successful often enough in the red zone with this approach.
My bet: Victory Ravens & Henry with touchdown
