Wiseguy Action Driving Ravens-Bengals Line Movement

Wiseguy Action Driving Ravens-Bengals Line Movement article feature image
Credit:

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis

  • Sharp bettors have found a number they like in Thursday night's Ravens-Bengals matchup (8:20 p.m. ET).
  • Using the tools at The Action Network, we're able to uncover the sharp side.

Sharps aren't waiting around for Sunday to get some action down on Week 2 of the NFL season. According to The Action Network's proprietary betting tools, professionals have jumped on Thursday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals (8:20 p.m. ET).

Both teams enter this game at 1-0, although they didn't exactly have the same Week 1 experience. The Ravens coasted to a 44-point blowout win over the Bills, while the Bengals endured a three-quarter battle with the Colts before pulling away in the fourth.

Perhaps as a result of their dominant performance, the Ravens opened as a two-point road favorite on Thursday night.

They've also been the significantly more popular side, attracting 73% of bets and 76% of dollars.


>> All odds as of Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. Download The Action Network App to get real-time NFL odds and track your bets.


Despite Cincy's low support, however, this line has fallen back to a pick'em or even Bengals -1 at some books.

Sports Insights' bet signals have triggered four moves on the Bengals, indicating that on six separate occasions — once at +2, once at +1.5, and four more times at +1 — sharp Cincinnati action caused the entire market to drop the line for this game.

It's no coincidence, either, that each steam move came at underdog value. When regular-season point spreads were released back in April, this game was listed as a pick'em.

So, being careful not to overreact to Week 1 results, sharps have been happy to take the Bengals at any underdog spot, as they clearly still believe that to be closer to the correct line.

On the subject of overreactions, it's also worth noting that since 2005, teams coming off a blowout win of at least four touchdowns in Week 1 are 2-9 against the spread the following week.



About the Author
Danny covers all aspects of the betting market for The Action Network and is a self-proclaimed former pro rock-paper-scissors player. He often miss the 2nd/3rd innings of Red Sox games because that's when Jeopardy is on. Once beat Mark Gallant 21-7 in ping pong.

Follow Danny Donahue @_DannytheDon on Twitter/X.

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