Bengals vs. Ravens Picks: Will Cincy thrive in Joe Burrow’s return?

Thanksgiving night brings a national spotlight and one of the NFL’s most intense AFC North rivalries. With Joe Burrow expected to make his return for the Bengals, will Cincinnati give the Ravens all they can handle on Thanksgiving night in Baltimore? Our Bengals vs. Ravens picks preview breaks down the matchup, which includes a final score prediction.

Bengals vs. Ravens Game Day Information

• Matchup: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

• Date: Thursday, November 27, 2025 (Thanksgiving Night)

• Kickoff: 8:20 p.m. ET / 7:20 p.m. CT.

• Location: M&T Bank Stadium — Baltimore, MD (home of the Ravens)

• TV / Stream: NBC / Peacock (national primetime window).

Weather — will it impact the game?

M&T Bank Stadium is open-air, and forecasts for Baltimore on Thanksgiving night call for clear and cool conditions in the mid-30s Fahrenheit with light winds — not a stormy or wind-whipped setup that would force conservative game plans. The forecast calls for a clear, low-wind forecast for Baltimore that evening, meaning on-field weather is unlikely to blunt either team’s offense or kicking games. In short: weather isn’t a persuasive reason to avoid taking the spread — this will play like a standard late-season November night in Baltimore.

Public Betting Tickets

Numbers update frequently — check the latest on the NFL public betting chart and learn usage basics in our public betting guide.

Injury report

Cincinnati’s official Week 13 injury report shows several notable absences and limited participants that materially affect their ability to hang with Baltimore’s full-strength unit. Key Bengals items: Joe Burrow is listed as practicing and available (full participation this week) but the Bengals are still dealing with other practice-day absences — Trey Hendrickson is listed as not participating (hip/pelvis), and Tee Higgins is marked as out/did not participate on recent reports, which dents Cincinnati’s ability to generate explosive downfield plays and sustain tempo in a hostile road environment. Those offensive and pass-rush limitations lower Cincinnati’s upside on offense and their ability to flip field position.

Baltimore’s injury picture is more encouraging for bettors who want to back the Ravens. Reports indicate Lamar Jackson is ready to play despite a toe issue (Jackson downplayed the injury in media), and the team’s defensive core — while managing some bumps — appears largely intact and trending toward availability. The combination of Jackson being active and a mostly healthy Baltimore defense preserves the Ravens’ usual game-management advantages (clock control via the run and limiting explosive plays). That personnel edge on both sides of the ball is a key reason the Ravens can dominate possession and convert drives into scoring margins.

Why Ravens -7 will cash

1. Baltimore’s multi-dimensional attack controls clock and tempo. The Ravens’ offense is built to chew clock with a dominant run game and complementary play-action passing when Jackson is healthy. That balance forces opponents to stay on the field longer and tires defenses late — a recipe for piling up scoring drives while keeping the Bengals’ offense off the field. On a national primetime stage at M&T Bank, look for the Ravens to lean into clock-control drives that both pad the scoreboard and limit Cincinnati possessions, increasing the likelihood of a multiple-score margin

2. Cincinnati’s functional weaknesses vs. Baltimore’s strengths. With pass-rush and receiving questions on the Bengals’ injury report — namely the absence/limitations of key playmakers like Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins — Cincinnati’s ability to generate quick strikes and consistently flip field position diminishes. That shifts leverage to Baltimore, whose defense has been effective at forcing punts and creating short fields. In a scenario where the Bengals lack their top complementary weapons, the Ravens can convert defensive stands into offensive points and build a lead large enough to clear a -7 spread.

3. Home-field environment and situational edges compound the gap. Thanksgiving primetime in Baltimore means crowd energy and an elite Ravens run game working behind a solid line. The Ravens’ specialty in winning divisional, late-season home games gives them a situational edge — familiarity with opponent tendencies, crowd-fueled fourth-quarter stops, and conservative, high-percentage play-calling that preserves leads. When you combine personnel advantages (healthier Ravens), weather neutrality (no reason to restrict the playbook), and game script favoring clock control, -7 becomes a defensible, aggressive play for bettors who back strong situational factors.

Bengals vs. Ravens Picks & Predictions

Play: Ravens -7
Reason: Baltimore has the roster balance, home-field edge, and situational incentives to control tempo and convert a multi-possession lead on Thanksgiving night. Cincinnati’s practice-day absences among impact players reduce the Bengals’ ability to answer quickly and consistently. Expect a game script that favors Baltimore’s strengths.
Final score (projected): Ravens 31 — Bengals 17

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