Bengals vs. Ravens predictions, picks and best bets: Back the Bengals and the Over?

Two AFC North rivals will fight for valuable playoff positioning on Thursday Night Football when the Cincinnati Bengals hit the road to face the Baltimore Ravens.

These teams met in Cincinnati on Oct. 6, and the Ravens escaped with a 41-38 overtime win after the Bengals (4-5 SU, 5-4 ATS) missed a field goal that would have won it. Oddsmakers expect another high-scoring game on Thursday and list the Over/Under between 53 and 53.5 points.

Baltimore (6-3 SU, 5-3-1 ATS) is favored by 5.5 to 6.5 points depending on the online sportsbook you choose. Is that too many points for the Ravens to lay in such a heated rivalry? Here are our Bengals vs. Ravens predictions and best bets for Thursday Night Football.

Bengals vs. Ravens predictions and best bets

Bengals +6.5 (-120 FanDuel Sportsbook)

Over 53 points (-110 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

Joe Burrow Over 1.5 passing TDs (-145 at bet365 Sportsbook)

In a sport as tough as professional football, it's common for players to take their foot off the gas from time to time. The regular season is an 18-week grind. It's difficult to be on top of your game and give maximum effort every week.

Cincinnati doesn't have the luxury of taking its foot off the gas on Thursday. The Bengals need to win this one as badly as any other regular-season game in recent seasons. They're hanging by a thread in the playoff discussion. A win over the Ravens on the road would significantly boost their hopes.

You can take that to another level because the Bengals' quarterback is Joe Burrow. A proven leader, Burrow has risen to the challenge time and time again when Cincinnati needs it most.

How's this for a trend? Burrow is 16-3 ATS as an underdog of 3 or more points. He covered as a 6.5-point favorite on the road against Kansas City in Week 2. In Week 8 last season, the Bengals were 4.5-point underdogs at San Francisco and won 31-17, so this is far from their first time in this role.

No matter who covers the point spread, you can expect a lot of points to be scored. The Ravens have an awesome offense against any opponent, and the Bengals have the perfect offense to score against Baltimore's weak pass defense.

Burrow passed for 392 yards and five touchdowns and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson passed for 348 yards and four touchdowns in the first meeting. Nothing has changed since then. Baltimore is 8-1 to the Over this season, and Cincinnati is 6-3.

The five-touchdown performance against the Ravens wasn't the only time Burrow has done that this season. He also did it last week in the win over Las Vegas. That's noteworthy because the Bengals did not have WR Tee Higgins (quad injury).

The Bengals' offense had not looked the same without Higgins until last week. Now that Burrow has proven he can light up a secondary without Higgins on the field, he should bring that momentum to Thursday night.

Bengals vs. Ravens moneyline odds analysis Why Baltimore could win as the favorite Best odds: -255 at FanDuel Sportsbook

Baltimore's offense is the most powerful in the league, averaging a league-best 445 yards per game and 31.4 points. Baltimore's scoring average ranks second to Detroit.

The Ravens have scored at least 30 points in five of their last six games, including the 41-point performance against the Bengals. The Bengals' defense isn't much better than when these teams last met, so there is no reason to think the Ravens won't rack up the yardage and points again.

Why Cincinnati could win as the underdogBest odds: +225 at bet365 Sportsbook

Cincinnati will always have a chance in any game while Joe Burrow is the quarterback. Burrow picked apart the Ravens' defense in this season's first meeting, and it's easy to see him doing it again on Thursday Night Football.

This is an all-in spot for the Bengals. They need a big win like this to build confidence in their playoff aspirations. They're coming off a win in which the offense scored 38 points despite WR Tee Higgins missing due to an injury.

Cincinnati must catch a break or two, but they won't be intimidated. They know the Ravens well.