The Ravens and Bengals host a classic plus weekend football bet

On By Littum

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Good morning! So much football.

While you were sleeping: Ravens expel the Bengals in barn fires

This is what elite football looks like on Thursday: two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, trading touchdowns in highlights in the final minutes of a game that could help decide both teams’ playoff prospects. Add a two-point conversion to settle it and we have a piece de resistance.

Ravens 35, Bengals 34. Whew. Quickly:

  • This was basically three games in one. For two and a half quarters, Cincy produced its best football of the season, taking a 21-7 lead late into the third against an elite Baltimore offense. Then the Ravens scored 21 straight points. They traded touchdowns in the final two minutes, and the Bengals’ ballsy drive for two with 38 seconds left failed. The chef’s kiss.
  • The quarterbacks combined for 718 yards passing, 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 a history-making 264 yards receiving alone.
  • For the 7-3 Ravens, it was a necessary win to keep pace with one of the NFL’s best divisions where they still trail the Steelers. The 4-6 Bengals also have a favorable schedule the rest of the way, and if they can keep playing like this, we should expect a wild-card berth. But the margins are thin, and it must sting to see an 0-2 record against Baltimore. Combined margin of victory? Four points.

I think it’s the best game i’ve seen this season. Moving on:

Pulse polls: Is new good?

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

I would like to open up a larger discussion, which we will get into 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 one feeling?

Your options are simple:

  • It’s better. More teams in the mix, more fun.
  • It’s worse. The bet is gone.
  • It’s about the same. Some games aren’t that big, but so many more games matter in any case a little bit so it all washes out.

Make your voice heard here.

News to know

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

McCaffrey returns
Yesterday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said star running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to 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 tendinitis since training camp and returned to practice last week. See our full update here.

UF sticks from Napier
Billy Napier will remain as Florida’s head football coach, Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin announced yesterday, a mild surprise given Napier’s rocky start in Gainesville. He is 15-18 in plus seasons, including 4-4 ​​this year, though Florida has shown signs of life as this season has progressed. His buyout, $26 million if they fire him after the year, could be a big reason to stick with the status quo.

More news

The good bets: A win, please

Oh, honey. I went 0-4 last week in Pulseland. Bottom line is a place. Just don’t ask me about the fake money right now. We jump back here (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 shaky this year, but I trust them here against a Rebels team that might 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 roster the Hoosiers have faced this year. A span of 14 points is massive.

Read more: Expert choice | Best bet

NFL

Read more: Expert choice

Heart rate record overall: 17-20-1

Look and listen

NCAAM: No. 9 North Carolina at No. 1 Kansas
7:00 PM ET on ESPN 2
An extremely fun early top-10 matchup between two of the hottest bloods we have. Allen Fieldhouse should be rocking.

NBA: Suns on Mavericks
7:30 PM ET on ESPN
Phoenix has been the Western Conference’s best team so far, and Kevin Durant has been excellent in his 17 season. We talk about LeBron James’ longevity, but Slim Reaper has to be in that conversation. Tune in tonight and join the movement.

Get tickets to games like these here.

“The Athletic Football Show” is always a must listen after games and the week 10 preview is pristine. Catch it here.

Pulse selection

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

Our NFL staff took a stab at it NFL midseason prices here. Kirk Cousins get flowers.

BR heads, collect: Baseball reference has entered a new age where WAR is now a standard batting metric on every player’s side. It’s a minor change with a big impact.

There may be some lingering hard feelings, but Sam Amick has a great column on why Cutting machines had the right to charge Paul George go.

Following on from yesterday’s newsletter: Marcus Thompson II on how these are refreshed Warriors winnerwith defensive tweaks and new life.

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

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

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

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(Top photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)