The Cincinnati Bengals will take on the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North matchup that means much more to one team than the other. The Bengals are 10-5 and have already secured the division, by virtue of a dominating Week 16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings and a Ravens loss at the hands of the New England Patriots on the same day.
Ravens vs. Bengals 2013 odds: Cincinnati favored at home
The Cincinnati Bengals are favored over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17. The Ravens need the win to make the playoffs.
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Baltimore is 8-7 on the season and still fighting for its shot at the playoffs. For the Ravens to make it, they'd have to beat the Bengals, and have the San Diego Chargers lose or tie the Kansas City Chiefs, or see the Miami Dolphins lose or tie the New York Jets. There are a few other scenarios involving ties, but they all revolve around those three games.
Meanwhile, the Bengals are fighting for seeding. They can earn as high as the No. 2 seed or fall as low as the No. 4 seed depending on what happens.
As far as oddsmakers are concerned, the Bengals have a better chance of improving their seeding than the Ravens do of making the playoffs. Cincinnati opened as 5-point favorites over the Ravens for this matchup, and the line moved even further in their favor throughout the week, according to OddsShark. The Bengals could be had as 6.5-point favorites during the week.
The point total for the matchup opened at 44.5 points and has hovered around that number. That total has gone over in four of Baltimore’s last six games and in four of Cincinnati’s last five. It has gone over in five of Cincinnati’s last six home games, but under in six of the last nine meetings between these two teams.
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