The NFL wild card round sees the Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens for the second time in a week, and the team here at Sportslens have been looking ahead to the game by building a parlay for our readers to savour.
Last year’s Super Bowl finalists the Bengals will be hoping they can repeat the fairytale heroics by overcoming the Ravens at the first hurdle – a team they swept aside with an 11 point victory in the final regular season game week.
This sees them favoured across NFL betting sites with Baltimore stuttering in their run-in to the postseason, but this match-up could be much narrower than the markets suggest after they registered a strong second-half showing against their wild card opponents.
Best NFL Wild Card Betting Offers
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens NFL Wild Card Parlay
Our same game parlay combines three selections to make an eye-catching, high-value wager for what could turn out to be one of the defining matches of the weekend between two postseason regulars of the past few years.
- Ravens Total Points – Under 17.5
- Total Points – Under 42
- Bengals -6.5 Handicap Win
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Wild Card Parlay Odds @ +225 with BetOnline
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Wild Card Parlay Pick 1: Ravens Total Points – Under 16.5
Much of Baltimore’s chances of prevailing in this wild card match-up rests on the injury news surrounding quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has been sideline with a sprain to the knee since early December.
As a result, the 2019 MVP has been unable to take to the practice field and no exact time frame has been given for his return, with assessments taking place on a week-by-week basis. Rumblings of his return have gathered pace as the Ravens build up to this crucial wild card game, but even if he does feature there is no guarantee he will hit the ground running as he gets up to full speed.
Without their majestic QB, the Ravens have failed to put up more than 17 points across the six games he has been absent, and against a Bengals side who kept them at bay by conceding 16 points, we’re confident defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s masterful adjustments will be enough to see this selection through.
Related: NFL Head-To-Head Stats For Wild Card Weekend: 2023 Wild Card Weekend Fixtures & Betting
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Wild Card Parlay Pick 2: Total Points – Under 42
With the Ravens expected to struggle should Jackson remained sidelined, it is up to the Bengals to make up the rest of the points spread, which we are tipping to be set a little too high for this clash.
Legitimate questions still surround Cincinnati, who’s Cinderella run to the Super Bowl last year may have flattered to deceive when it comes to their offensive efficiency.
They rank in 12th for yards per play, and average just over 26 points per game, which at the top end would only just be enough to dispel our first prediction. This, coupled with the fact that the Ravens ranked as a top-five defence in terms of EPA per play in the second half of the season bodes well for our pick.
The previous meeting last week finished with 43 points, but given the implications of a wild card round match-up we could see the score being much lower as a result of a cagey, narrow affair.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Wild Card Parlay Pick 3: Bengals -6.5 Handicap Win
Cincinnati covered this spread comfortably in Week 18 with an eventual 11 point victory, and if they can keep a relatively tame Ravens offensive that has managed just 75 points without Lamar Jackson in the hole at bay, this should be a comfortable pick.
Even if Jackson does return in time for the playoffs, what can Baltimore reasonably expect from him given he has had next-to-no time on the practice field – to be pushed straight back into a game of this magnitude and be expected to be their saviour going forward is a tall order.
The Bengals can cover the spread in Ohio on Sunday, as they have done in their previous eight regular season games.
