The Ravens and Bengals host a classic, plus weekend football betting

by Junna Base November 8, 2024

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Good morning! So much football.

While you were sleeping: Ravens oust Bengals in barnburner

This is what elite Thursday football looks like: Two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, exchange highlight-reel touchdowns in the final minutes of a game that could decide both teams’ playoff prospects. Add in a two-point conversion to decide that and we have an absolute highlight.

Ravens 35, Bengals 34. Phew. Fast:

This was essentially three games in one. Cincy played its best football of the season for two and a half quarters, taking a 21-7 lead late in the third quarter against an elite Baltimore offense. Then the Ravens scored 21 points in a row. They traded touchdowns in the final two minutes, and with 38 seconds left, the Bengals’ valiant attempt to score twice failed. The Chef’s Kiss.
The quarterbacks combined for 718 passing yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. Three of those TD throws were 67 yards or longer; Jackson’s 84-yard connection with Tylan Wallace was the longest of his career, and Burrow hit Ja’Marr Chase for the other two. Chase had 264 receiving yards alone, which made history.
It was a necessary win for the 7-3 Ravens to compete with one of the best teams in the NFL Divisions where they still trail the Steelers. The 4-6 Bengals also have a favorable schedule for the rest of the season, and if they can keep playing like this, we should expect a wild card spot. But the margins are slim and it must be painful to see an 0-2 record against Baltimore. Overall margin of victory? Four points.

I think This is the best game I’ve seen this season. It continues:

Pulse surveys: Is new good?

It’s been a busy fall, so it’s understandable if we forgot the whole update on the all-new college football reality that officially took place on Tuesday, when the first rankings of the new era arrived.

I’d like to open a larger discussion that we’ll address next week: How has the 12-team College Football Playoff era changed your viewing experience? We’ve talked a lot about the changes themselves, but do we like how the season is going? Is there another Feeling?

Your options are simple:

It’s better. More teams in the mix, more fun.
It’s worse. The stakes are gone.
It’s about the same. Some games aren’t that big, but there are so many more games that matter at least a little bit, so everything gets washed out.

Make your voice heard here.

Interesting facts

Cohen meets with Soto
Mets owner Steve Cohen will fly to California next week to meet with top free agent Juan Soto, sources report confirmed The athleteYesterday was Will Sammon. It’s an expected, yet tantalizing update to what could be a long courtship season this winter. Scott Boras, Soto’s agent, said this week that his client enjoyed playing in New York this year. I can’t wait to see the number.

McCaffrey returns
Yesterday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said star running back Christian McCaffrey will finally make his season debut this weekend against the Buccaneers, a welcome sight for a 4-4 San Francisco team (and fantasy managers everywhere). McCaffrey has been dealing with Achilles tendonitis since training camp and only returned to practice last week. You can find our full update here.

Napier UF sticks
Billy Napier will remain Florida’s head coach, Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin announced yesterday, a slight surprise given Napier’s rocky start in Gainesville. He’s 15-18 in more than two seasons, including 4-4 this year, although Florida has shown signs of life over the course of this season. His $26 million takeover if they let him go after the year could be a big reason to stick with the status quo.

More news

The good bets: One win, please

Oh, baby. I went 0-4 in Pulseland last week. The bottom is somewhere. Don’t ask me for the counterfeit money now. Here we recover again (odds via BetMGM):

college

No. 3 Georgia (-2.5) at No. 16 Ole Miss
Do I avoid the LSU game? Yes. Do I feel confident about this bet? Also yes. The Dawgs have looked questionable this year, but I trust them here against a Rebels team that may be overrated. Georgia by a TD.
Michigan (+14) at No. 8 Indiana
I don’t expect the Wolverines to win this game, but I also suspect this could be the best squad the Hoosiers have faced this year. A margin of 14 points is huge.

Read more: Expert tips | Best bets

NFL

Read more: Expert tips

Overall heart rate record: 17-20-1

Watch and listen

📺 NCAAM: No. 9 North Carolina and No. 1 Kansas
7 p.m. ET on ESPN 2
A hugely entertaining early top 10 match between two of the bluesiest we have. Allen Fieldhouse should rock.

📺 NBA: Suns at Mavericks
7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Phoenix has been the best team in the Western Conference so far and Kevin Durant has been great on his team 17 Season. We talk about the longevity of LeBron James, but the Slim Reaper needs to be included in that conversation. Tune in tonight and join the movement.

Get tickets for games like these Here.

🎧 “The Athletic Football Show” is always a must-watch after games, and the Week 10 preview is impeccable. Catch it here.

Pulse picks

In high school, Jordan HawkinsThe jersey said “NO-WHERE” because when he first showed up at a practice, no one knew where he came from. Now he is a senior at Ole Miss Setting records. His journey between these points was incredible.

Our NFL staff tried NFL Midseason Awards Here. Kirk Cousins gets flowers.

BR heads, assemble: Baseball Reference has entered a new era where WAR is now a standard hitting metric on every playing side. It’s a small change with a big impact.

There may still be some hard feelings, but Sam Amick wrote a great column why this Hair clippers It was right to rent Paul George go.

A continuation from yesterday’s newsletter: Marcus Thompson II on how these were refreshed warrior winwith defensive improvements and new life.

I loved this intro FC Noaha small Armenian soccer team that took its name from a biblical tradition and fought its way into the world European Conference League to face the mighty Chelsea. The game didn’t go well – an 8-0 loss – but the journey was still incredible.

Most clicked on in the newsletter yesterday: Our story continues Travis Kelce’s defense of his brotherJason, about the phone slamming incident.

Most read on the site yesterday: Nick Baumgardner’s latest NFL mock draft.

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(Top photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

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