The Ravens travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals for the second time in two weeks this Sunday night, this time for the rights to advance to the divisional round of the 2023 NFL Playoffs. With many question marks surrounding this game — most notably the status of Lamar Jackson and the Ravens' passing game — many bettors will likely shy away from both sides of the 8.5-point spread. Some might opt instead to delve into the player and game prop markets along with betting on the side and total, heightening the interest level of this AFC North clash.
With fun and value in mind, we pored over the available player and game prop markets that BetMGM and DraftKings Sportsbook have to offer for this wild-card weekend battle. Here are the props we ultimately decided on, and why we think they represent solid value going into Sunday night.
Ravens-Bengals Best Prop Bets: Advice, picks, odds for wild-card playoff
Odds courtesy of BetMGM, Caesars, and DraftKings Sportsbook
Joe Burrow OVER 269.5 passing yards (-110 on DraftKings)
You can bet Burrow OVER 268.5 air yards at -110 on BetMGM, but we're playing it safe and taking on some extra juice. Joey Brr has frozen defenses and amassed at least 270 passing yards in four of Cincy's past seven games, while starting back Joe Mixon has accumulated 27 or fewer rushing yards in four of the past seven. Baltimore's front-seven has been stouter than its secondary, so we're all over this revised OVER. Let's not forget: Joe Cool averaged 276.3 passing yards per game in the Bengals' 2022 Super Bowl run — and many would argue he has looked even better this season.
MORE RAVENS-BENGALS:
Betting preview | DK lineup | FD lineup
Ja'Marr Chase anytime TD scorer (+100 on BetMGM) or Tee Higgins anytime TD scorer (+155 on DK)
This is a good example of why it pays to shop around. Chase's TD prop on DK is at -105, while Higgins' TD prop on BetMGM is +125. By finding the most favorable odds, we increased our potential payout exponentially if both hit. I like both elite wideouts to score this weekend, as long as Higgins gets over whatever illness has him listed as questionable. If word comes out that Tee can't suit up, consider jumping on Tyler Boyd to score (+170 on DK) as fast as you can before the odds shift. The trio has 21 receiving TDs between them, but one or two always seem to step up when one goes down.
BetMGM Wincast: Joe Mixon to score and Bengals to win (+100)
If you're betting on the Bengals to win and you think Mixon will fall into the end zone at some point (which he did seven times this season), you might want to mini-parlay those props and get plus-odds. Baltimore has been pretty stingy against the run between the 20s, but it has surrendered 11 rushing TDs on the season. Plus, Mixon found the end zone against the Ravens just last week. It seems a bit volatile, but it's a decent bet.
Ja'Marr Chase OVER 6.5 receptions (+100 on BetMGM)
Chase has recorded at least seven catches in eight straight contests, and he's hauled in eight in each of the past two weeks against a stout New England defense and these same Ravens. This seems like easy money.
Bengals vs. Ravens: Cincinnati wins by 7-12 points (+340) and/or Cincinnati by 13-18 points (+360, both on BetMGM)
When writing the betting preview for this game, I noted that "the question is not whether the Bengals will win, but rather by how much." Joe Burrow mans a top-seven offense in terms of points and yardage, and his skill-position corps is light-years ahead of Baltimore, with or without Lamar Jackson (we highly doubt the Ravens will be playing with L-Jax). My prediction was Cincy by 14 to cover the -8.5 spread, but would anyone be surprised if John Harbaugh's squad somehow pulled a surprise cover and lost by just seven? Alternately, would any of us be shocked if the Bengals — amid their eight-game winning streak — blew the doors off the Ravens and won by 17 or 18 points? By betting both of these custom-range win margins, we give ourselves a wide range and still wind up with a +172 payout if Cincy wins within that margin. It seems like a cool way to win some money through a variation on spread betting, effectively hedging our score prediction.
Bengals OVER 24.5 total points (+100 on DK)
Cincinnati has scored 27 or more points the last three times it has played a squad that made the playoffs. Similarly, Baltimore has given up at least 27 in each of the last two games it played against playoff squads. Don't expect Joey Brr to slow things down in the clutch all of a sudden. Bet on the points and enjoy the show!
