Bengals Favored Over Ravens Despite Week 1 Loss?

Even after getting blown out by the Cleveland Browns in their season-opener, the Cincinnati Bengals are favored to beat the Baltimore Ravens.

All it took was one game before the Baltimore Ravens were listed as "underdogs" by the oddsmakers in Las Vegas. After a Week 1, 25-9 win over the Houston Texans, the Ravens will enter their Week 2 AFC North rivalry matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals as slight underdogs. 

According to SISportsbook, the Bengals are 3.5-point favorites over the Ravens, even after kicking off the season with a blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns. 

The 24-3 loss for the Bengals was despite entering the season as the favorite to the AFC North for the third straight season, as star quarterback Joe Burrow, who missed much of training camp with a calf injury, put together the worst performance of his NFL career just a day after signing a new market-setting contract extension. 

Burrow completed 14 of 31 passes for a career-low 82 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, as the Bengals offense mustered just 142 total yards of offense. The game was going so badly for the reigning AFC North winners that coach Zac Taylor even decided to pull his star quarterback from the game with 5:08 left in the fourth quarter. 

Compare that to the Ravens, who never did as much as trail the Texans in their season-opener, as the Baltimore offense claimed the lead on their third drive after they punted and threw an interception on the first and second drive before running back J.K. Dobbins found the endzone; it seems a little perplexing that the Bengals are still the favorite. 

At least, until you look at the recent history between these two rivals, where the Bengals hold a current two-game winning streak over the Ravens, as they've won three out of the last four meetings. 

Combine that with the fact that the Ravens are banged up heading into Sunday's game, as multiple starters could be sidelined with injuries. Starting running back Dobbins has already been ruled out for the season with a torn Achilles, while safety Marcus Williams is also out with a pectoral injury for Sunday's game. 

That brief list doesn't include Marlon Humphrey, Tyler Linderbaum, and Ronnie Stanley, who all are also dealing with injuries that put them in doubt to play on Sunday versus the Bengals.