The Ravens (7-3) are looking to rebound and re-establish their stranglehold on the AFC North after a 33-31 loss at home in which the Cleveland Browns erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
A win for Baltimore at home will help maintain their hold on first place in the division.
It’ll be a massive weekend with AFC playoff implications, and a Ravens win and a Kansas City Chiefs loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night would vault Baltimore into the top spot in the AFC.
A loss for Cincinnati would be a significant blow to the postseason chances while all but erasing a chance to claim three straight division titles.
With kickoff fast approaching, we’re looking at who the NFL experts pick.
Baltimore Sun--Ravens
Most of the Baltimore Sun’s writers and experts are picking Baltimore.
CBS Sports--Bengals
CBS Sports is rolling with Cincinnati in an upset.
If the Bengals lose on Thursday, that’s going to essentially kill any shot they have of winning AFC North, which is why I think we’ll see them in desperation mode. I am mildly concerned at the fact that the Bengals have lost 13 STRAIGHT road prime-time games, but no one has been better than Burrow at ending these ugly franchise losing streaks and I’ll say he ends another one on Thursday. To bring this pick full circle, I’ll go ahead and say the Ravens blow a fourth quarter lead and the Bengals win on a field goal.
USA Today --Ravens
Five of the seven experts at USA Today are picking the Ravens.
The Athletic--Ravens
The Athletic staff is picking the Ravens.
Bleacher Report--Bengals
The experts at Bleacher Report are picking the Bengals.
Pro Football Talk--Ravens
Mike Florio and company are rolling with Baltimore.
It’s desperation time for the Bengals. The Ravens can’t afford to stumble again, either.
Florio: Ravens, 26-23.
Simms: Ravens, 20-17.
The MMQB--Ravens
The Monday Morning Quarterback is picking Baltimore in a split decision.
NFL.com--Ravens
NFL.com is picking the Ravens.
For the purposes of making this pick, I’m not going to pay too much attention to Baltimore’s collapse against Cleveland in Week 10 — the Ravens remain one of the most formidable teams in the league, with a set of strengths (top-ranked scoring defense, top-ranked ground game, superstar QB) that should give them a chance to win most times out. The Bengals need this one, but I just don’t trust them as much as the home team here, especially with Tee Higgins already being ruled out.