WJZ's panel of sports experts pick the winner of the Ravens-Bengals game
BALTIMORE -- The Cincinnati Bengals are a good team, but the Baltimore Ravens are a favorite.
WJZ's panel of experts has put together their predictions for the outcome of Thursday night's "blackout game."
"The key to this game is getting after Joe Burrow, and the offensive side, I think they're going to have a lot more success facing a much weaker Bengals defense than they did on Sunday against the Browns," WJZ reporter Alex Glaze said.
Glaze expects the Ravens to bounce back from their loss to the Browns and beat the Bengals 31-21.
Steve Huber, the host of Huber in the Morning, which airs on 100.7 The Bay, said beating the Bengals might be as tough as "muscling down a plate of skyline spaghetti."
Skyline spaghetti is a dish of spaghetti noodles covered with hot chili and shredded cheese. People eat it with hot sauce and oyster crackers.
Huber said the dish makes no sense and is much like naming a team from Midwest America after an Indian jungle cat.
Huber noted that he has some concerns about Ravens players who did not attend practice this week but believes the team will still shine during prime time, beating the Bengals 27-24.
WJZ Anchor Rick Ritter said he was looking forward to seeing Ravens rookie Keaton Mitchell play tonight. Although the competition may be stiff, the Ravens can beat the Bengals, Ritter said.
"It is going to be tight down to the last couple of seconds," Ritter said. "I'm going Ravens 24, Bengals 23."
Former wide receiver Qadry Ismail said that Thursday's game is a "must win" for the Ravens if the team wants to be the leader of the AFC Nnorth.
"I say it's a close score, yes, but I think they're going to score a lot of points," Ismail said. "I think it's more along the lines of 31 and I'm going to say 28."
WJZ Sports Director Mark Viviano said he expects the Ravens to win 27-23.
"If it matters to you, the trend is John Harbaugh's teams have never lost a Thursday night home game. They're 7-0 in those games and the short week benefits the home team, no doubt."