Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens Free NFL Picks & Week 1 Odds
by Tony Sink - 7/21/2014
Sunday, September 7, 2014, 1:00 PM, CBS
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
The AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals will have their chance to get their first division win of 2014 when they face the Baltimore Ravens. Each team got a win against the other last season.
The Cincinnati Bengals were able to go 11-5 last season, but they lost in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year. Quarterback Andy Dalton passed for nearly 4,300 yards last year and had 33 touchdown passes, while the Bengals' D finished in the top five against both the run and the pass.
The Bengals were not able to retain defensive end Michael Johnson and did not sign any marquee free agents to make up for that loss. They may not have had a great draft position, but cornerback Darqueze Dennard is expected to be one of the better rookie defensive players in the league this season.
The Baltimore Ravens were only able to win two of their eight road games last season and finished in third place in the AFC North. Their defense remained in the top half of the league, but they had one of the worst rushing teams and quarterback Joe Flacco threw a career-high 22 interceptions.
The Ravens were able to give Flacco a new target in veteran Steve Smith, while also adding defensive end Arthur Jones and retaining the services of tight end Dennis Pita. Baltimore picked up linebacker C.J. Mosley in the middle of the first round and may have finally found their long-term replacement for Ray Lewis.
Tony's Pick: Take Cincinnati
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