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The matchup on Sunday is a pivotal one in the AFC North. The Bengals have the opportunity to put the Ravens season to bed. Vegas odds have the Bengals favored by 1.5 and the over under is 44.
| Name | Pick | Score | Blurb |
| Elliot Harrison - NFL.com |  |
24 - 21 | This is a big game for both teams. The Ravens need a dubya this week, or they're done for in the AFC North. Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce, who have been running like Frank Caliendo behind Baltimore's inconsistent line, were unproductive again Sunday, combining for 28 yards on 17 carries against the Browns. (We don't have any numbers on Caliendo.) While the Bengals aren't nearly as desperate for a win as Baltimore, they do need to prove they can beat the Ravens in games that matter (last season's Week 17 victory did not count, as both squads already had clinched playoff spots). How much doubt will creep both in and out of that Cincinnati locker room if the Bengals drop this game? To be one of the best teams in a conference or even a division, you have to take tough games on the road. It's proof-in-the-pudding time. The key to this one is what the Ravens can do on the ground against a unit missing its best player in Geno Atkins. Joe Flacco lacks the firepower to pull this out on his own. |
| Don Banks - SI | |
23 - 17 |
The Bengals can't clinch anything, but they can effectively end much of the drama that's left in the AFC North race for Baltimore if they can win at the house of the defending division champions. But that makes the Ravens dangerous, in that last-stand sort of way. Baltimore's offense hasn't found its stride this season and if the running game doesn't return to reliable form, it's not hard to envision John Harbaugh's team missing the playoffs for the first time in his six-year coaching tenure. |
| Pete Prisco - CBS |
|
23 - 20 | The Ravens might be playing for their playoff lives here. The Bengals, though, are playing consecutive road games. And they will be without Geno Atkins the rest of the way. But that Ravens offensive line isn't good. The Bengals front is good. That's a mismatch. Bengals take it on a late field goal. |
| Coley Harvey - ESPN | |
31 - 23 | Cincinnati hasn't lost back-to-back games yet this season and will be determined to keep that trend going this weekend. Look for quarterback Andy Dalton to lead a prolific offensive attack. |
| Jamison Hensley - ESPN |  |
20 - 16 | I had this pegged as a loss until I took a hard look at the Bengals' injury list. If Cincinnati had a healthy Andrew Whitworth, Atkins, Hall and Bernard, the Bengals win. But they don't, so the Ravens' home-field advantage is the deciding factor. |
| Greg Cote - Miami Herald | |
19 - 17 | Here's an intriguing matchup. Reeling, defending-champion Crows trying to avoid first four-game losing streak since 2007, and Bengals trying to assert that THEY own the division now. Should be an emotional game. Cincy's injury-loss of DT Geno Atkins will open up running room for struggling Ray Rice. Let's see how much pride champs have left. Upset! |
| Mike Florio - ProFootballTalk |
|
27 - 20 | The Bengals are a different team away from home, and the Ravens now have their backs firmly against the wall. I'm still not ready to give up on a team that has made it to the playoffs five straight times. |
| Michael David Smith - ProFootballTalk | |
20 - 17 | The Bengals are going to struggle down the stretch because they're missing their two best defensive players, tackle Geno Atkins and cornerback Leon Hall. Unfortunately, the Ravens can't get out of their own way on offense, and with this loss we can pretty much write off the defending champs. |
Then there are the experts that pick the winners without a score projection or a writeup. Some of those are here:
| Media Guy | Pick |
| Marcus Allen - ESPN |  |
| Mike Golic - ESPN | |
| Merril Hoge - ESPN | |
| Ron Jaworski - ESPN | |
| Chris Mortensen - ESPN | |
| Adam Schefter - ESPN | |
| Mark Schlereth - ESPN | |
| Tom Jackson - ESPN | |
| Keyshawn Johnson - ESPN | |
| Mike Ditka - ESPN | |
| Chris Carter - ESPN | |
| Jason La Canfora - CBS | |
| Josh Katzowitz - CBS | |
| Ryan Wilson - CBS | |
When I ran the simulation at WhatIfSports.com, The Bengals take one on the road from the Ravens.
