Ravens and Bengals Tangle

The Baltimore Ravens will have to deal with a much-hyped, trash-talking, 2009 playoff team this week. Again.

One week after dispatching the "Hard Knocks" Jets with a dominating defensive performance, the Ravens take their act on the road to face the defending AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals at 10 a.m. PT on CBS. Easy Street Sports has installed the Ravens as 2½-point favorites.

In last week's Monday Night game in New York, the Ravens defense put on a show holding the Mark Sanchez-led Jets to 74 passing yards and only six first downs in a 10-9 victory. The Ravens opened the season with a depleted secondary – no Ed Reed, Lardarius Webb or Domonique Foxworth – and were never tested by New York.

That is one thing that is certain to change on Sunday.

While the New England Patriots were cruising to an eventual 38-24 win over the Bengals, the second half of the game belonged to Cincinnati. The Bengals returned to a no-huddle offense that was successful for them last season.

Chad Ochocinco caught 12 balls and three newcomers (rookie Jordan Shipley, Terrell Owens and Jermaine Gresham) caught 18 more, almost entirely in the final 30 minutes. This spreading of the wealth is a luxury the Jets do not have, much to Baltimore's delight in Week 1.

Still, Easy Street Sports has installed Baltimore as 2½-point favorites, a number that is a field goal better than the plus 1 the Ravens were receiving at New York. Along with a total of 40, it is perhaps the most interesting pair of numbers on the NFL betting board.

Baltimore hasn't failed to cover a September game in two years, but the Bengals have won eight of the last 11 meetings, and covered in all eight of the wins, including last year's sweep. Then again, Baltimore had a home-and-away sweep of their own in 2008.

One thing has remained consistent over that time, though. Scoring has been at a premium. The two haven't combined to score more than 40 points since the opening week of the 2007 campaign.