Category: Latest News

NFL odds: Ravens early favorites over Texans in Week 11

After destroying the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, the Ravens open Week 11 as early favorites over the Houston Texans.

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The Baltimore Ravens have been on a roll, winning five straight games to improve to 7-2. They sit atop the AFC North standings and are the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture. But they’ll enter the toughest stretch of their schedule, battling against three teams also vying for playoff contention. Yet, with the way they’ve been winning, NFL oddsmakers are feeling pretty confident about another Baltimore victory in Week 11.

According to BetMGM, the Ravens are 4.5-point favorites over the Houston Texans this week.

Baltimore is fresh off perhaps their best win of the season, scoring five touchdowns on offense and another two on defense in a 49-13 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals. After Baltimore dismantled the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in their previous two games, it seems hard to bet against the surging Ravens right now.

While the Texans sit at 6-3 and feature the No. 4-ranked offense, they haven’t been dominant this season. Houston’s defense has allowed plenty of teams to hang in games, something that could be a real problem against a Baltimore offense that is putting up the second-most yards and the most points in the league. During their five-game winning streak, the Ravens have outscored opponents 165-89 with just one of those games having a margin of victory less than the current spread for Week 11.

The Ravens will also host this game, which carries quite a bit of weight as well. Since the start of the 2016 season, Baltimore is 20-8 at M&T Bank Stadium in spite of going 34-23 in total over that span.

It all equals Houston’s toughest game of the season and a prime bet on the Ravens.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Bengals had Andy Dalton attempt to emulate Lamar Jackson with scout team

Let’s just say it didn’t work.

How bad are things for the winless Cincinnati Bengals?

Former starting quarterback Andy Dalton worked with the scout team last week in an effort to help the defense prep for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

It didn’t exactly work.

“He’s been a pro. He’s been great. It’s a difficult personal situation for him,” offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “It’s not how he saw this going. But neither did we. But it’s kind of where we’re at and he’s embraced the role and he’s done everything we’ve asked. He’s a true professional in that regard and we all appreciate that from him. I know Ryan appreciates that from him…”

The sentiment Dalton has been a huge help for rookie starter Ryan Finley is great — anyone who has tracked Dalton’s career knew he would step in and handle it with professionalism.

But the results on the field didn’t look good. The Bengals got dropped in 49-13 fashion while that defense Dalton helped prep surrendred 223 yards and three touchdowns to Jackson through the air, as well as 65 yards and a score (9.3 average) on the ground.

Dalton was known for running a good read offense in college and running when asked. But nobody is emulating Jackson.

Even despite Dalton’s best efforts as he likely suits up for his final games as a member of the team, this defense simply doesn’t seem to be moving the needle in the right direction. Some opponents like Jackson will merely highlight it more than others.

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Five standouts from Titans’ 35-32 win over Chiefs

Here’s a look at five of those names.

The Tennessee Titans (5-5) evened out their record and put on one of the most thrilling performances in Week 10 as they defeated the visiting Kansas City Chiefs, 35-32 in Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

It was a competitive game filled with big plays on both sides, and several players stood out.

Here’s a look at five of those names.

1. QB Ryan Tannehill.

Tannehill continues to be efficient with the reins of the offense in his hands, and was a crucial part of guiding the Titans to the win. He was 13-of-19 passing for 181 yards and two touchdowns. He also had three rushes for 37 yards.

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Zac Taylor comments on injuries to A.J. Green, Drew Sample

Two injured Bengals remain under the spotlight after Week 10.

A day removed from taking one of the worst losses in franchise history, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor couldn’t offer much on two of the more notable injuries plaguing the roster.

One, A.J. Green, has been in limbo since the summer now and suffered a setback last week. The other, second-round rookie Drew Sample, went down with an injury during the team’s 49-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

On Green — who did rehab work with trainers before the Ravens game — Taylor said he doesn’t want to offer much other than a “day to day” tag after last week’s gaffe, per ESPN’s Ben Baby:

Last week’s gaffe, meaning when Taylor announced Green would play against the Ravens before the veteran wideout apparently suffered a setback.

On Sample, who had a boot on at the stadium Monday, Taylor offered the following:

For now, no word on Tyler Boyd, who left the field late in the fourth quarter after getting looked at by trainers.

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Players react to Titans’ 35-32 win over Chiefs

Hardly anyone saw it coming.

Hardly anyone saw it coming.

The Tennessee Titans (5-5) aimed to even out their record once more as the Kansas City Chiefs traveled to Nissan Stadium on Sunday, but many doubted their ability to accomplish that ahead of the game given the team’s overall inconsistency and struggles on offense this year.

But the Titans stayed competitive and came up with enough answers to beat the Chiefs, 35-32 at home.

Here’s a look at some player reactions from the thrilling victory.

The Titans face a visiting Jacksonville Jaguars team next on Nov. 24 at 3:05 p.m. CT in Nissan Stadium.

AFC North standings: Ravens sweep Bengals with Week 10 win

The Baltimore Ravens sweep the Cincinnati Bengals to keep their lofty lead in the AFC North standings through Week 10.

The Baltimore Ravens handled their business and beat the still-winless Cincinnati Bengals 49-13. It’s Baltimore’s first sweep of Cincinnati since the 2011 season and it marks another big win within the AFC North standings for the Ravens.

Baltimore will now finish no worse than 3-3 within the division, an important step to winning the AFC North. With a final game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns left on the schedule, the Ravens appear to have an insurmountable lead over the division at this stage.

Behind Baltimore is Pittsburgh, with their Week 10 win over the Los Angeles Rams. While they’re surging themselves, owning a four-game winning streak now, they still sit firmly behind the Ravens.

The Browns picked up a big win of their own, defeating the Buffalo Bills in the final minutes of the game to get their third win of the season. Though they remain well behind the Ravens within the division standings, there’s still plenty of season left to completely count them out.

The Bengals, on the other hand, are done. Having moved to 0-9, they’re now guaranteed to have a losing season. Though the AFC North isn’t exactly the toughest division in the league this year, it seems almost certain that a winning record is going to be needed to sit at the top of it. And with the playoffs firmly out of reach, Cincinnati has clearly moved into figuring out what talent they have on their roster and perhaps if rookie coach Zac Taylor will return in 2020.

Let’s take a look at the AFC North standings after Week 10.

AFC North standings:

Team Record Division Record Conference Record
Baltimore Ravens 7-2 3-1 5-2
Pittsburgh Steelers 5-4 1-1 4-2
Cleveland Browns 3-6 1-0 3-3
Cincinnati Bengals 0-9 0-3 0-5

The Ravens effectively hold a three-game lead over the Steelers in the AFC North standings after Week 10, thanks to their current head-to-head and division-record tiebreakers. Their Week 17 game looms in the horizon if Baltimore were to lose half of their next six games.

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Titans-Chiefs: a look at defensive snap counts

Here’s a complete look at the defensive snap counts.

The Tennessee Titans (5-5) came into Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) looking to get back to .500, and did exactly that as they pulled off a 35-32 win on their own turf.

Safeties Kevin Byard and Kenny Vaccaro along with cornerbacks Adoree Jackson and Logan Ryan played every snap of the game (82).

In special teams percentages, safeties Amani Hooker and Dane Cruikshank, in addition to linebacker Daren Bates all had 88%.

Here’s a complete look at the defensive snap counts.

The Titans will face the Jacksonville Jaguars next on Nov. 24 and 3:05 p.m. CT in Nissan Stadium.

Titans-Chiefs: a look at offensive snap counts

Here’s a complete look at the offensive snap counts from the victory.

The Tennessee Titans (5-5) entered Sunday’s contest against the Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) as heavy underdogs, but pulled off the 35-32 win in dramatic fashion in Nissan Stadium.

The Titans did a good job of feeding Derrick Henry the ball, and the rusher totaled 37 snaps.
Rookie A.J. Brown led wide receivers with 49 snaps, while Tajae Sharpe had 42 snaps, Adam Humphries played for 34 snaps and Kalif Raymond saw action for 10 snaps.
Raymond was also very involved on special teams, on the field for 47%, with tight end MyCole Pruitt next in line at 38%.

Here’s a complete look at the offensive snap counts from the victory.

The Titans face the Jacksonville Jaguars next at 3:05 p.m. CT on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.

Tank watch: Bengals get big breathing room in draft order as bad teams win

The Bengals are winning in the NFL draft order, at least.

The Cincinnati Bengals suffered one of their worst losses in franchise history against the Baltimore Ravens over the weekend.

But the team sure keeps winning in the draft order race.

Week 10 was quite fruitful in this pursuit. The Miami Dolphins picked up another win, this time over Indianapolis to make it two wins on the season.

Ditto for the New York Jets with a win over the New York Giants, as well as Atlanta upsetting New Orleans.

Those big winners of the weekend join the four teams sitting at two wins. Five more have three wins. Just one — the Washington Redskins — have a single win.

And then there are the 0-9 Bengals.

The Bengals stand alone atop the draft order and haven’t shown much in the way of progress on the field by comparison, to the point it’s fair to wonder if a coach could get fired.

With the way things have gone, it sure seems like the Bengals could keep a tight grip on the first pick without much of a problem. It’s hard to fathom 0-16, but one look at the remaining schedule doesn’t produce any guaranteed wins.

If nothing else, onlookers can take solace in the fact the top pick should mean the arrival of a new era at quarterback.

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The Bengals have to fire someone, right?

The theme of accountability is losing its luster.

There isn’t a Marvin Lewis to fall back on this time.

Remember 2018? The Cincinnati Bengals fired Teryl Austin on November 12, 2018. His defense had just coughed up 500-plus yards in a 51-14 loss to New Orleans.

Fast forward almost exactly a year, Lou Anarumo’s defense just gave up 379 yards in a 49-13 loss. Baltimore needed 23:49 of clock to do it. A late field goal stopped it from finishing as the worst loss in Bengals franchise history. Sunday marked the team’s 11th straight loss, tied for a team record, and it’s one step closer to matching the franchise’s worst-ever start of 0-10 — captained by one Dave Shula.

But there isn’t a Marvin Lewis this time. When the Bengals fired Austin, Lewis stepped in and helped the defense improve. The team fought.

No such fall back plan exists. The Bengals had problems getting a qualified defensive coordinator in the door in the first place. But one could easily make the argument Anarumo should be fired for his performance. Not only is he failing to establish scheme and adapt to opponents, but his units have also coughed up at least 460 yards in four its last five games.

If the team wanted to pull a stunner and can Zac Taylor, doing so would largely be unfeasible. Who takes over? Anarumo is having a rough time and Brian Callahan on the offensive side is inexperienced and helping craft these miserable gameplans. Does special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons, in his 17th year with the team, jump to interim head coach? What does that accomplish?

And yet, it is brutal to listen to the coaches wax poetic about accountability when this is the product on the field. Were the front office to step in and fire someone it would make plenty of sense.

That probably doesn’t happen. And the Bengals backed themselves into a no-win situation. They hired Taylor knowing he needed to develop as a coach and gave him control of his staff. There’s no easy out here, if they make a move at all. But the longer something doesn’t change, the more potential irreparable harm the team does with its fans.

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