The AFC North will take center stage on Thursday as the Baltimore Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals.
In the previous meeting, the teams were deadlocked at the end of the fourth quarter, but Justin Tucker made a 24-yard field goal to give Baltimore a 41-38 victory.
With both teams averaging over 26 points per game, it's no wonder the total points jumped by over three points, from 49.5 to 53.
Matchups like this between two high-scoring teams are especially attractive when putting together parlays of the same game.
Lamar Jackson 2+ Passing Touchdowns (-110)
DraftKings currently has the Ravens quarterback as the frontrunner for the MVP award. Jackson leads the league in total QBR value of 77.0 and is having perhaps his best passing season.
His 68.2% pass completion percentage is a career high, and his two interceptions are tied for second-fewest among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts.
The Ravens were often criticized for not surrounding Jackson with a true No. 1 wide receiver. That's no longer the case after they selected Boston University's Zay Flowers with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 draft.
As such, Jackson is currently playing with more confidence as he continues to show growth in his seventh season.
He has thrown at least two touchdowns in each of the last three games, as well as the last three against the Bengals.
Jackson reached a point in his career where he trusted his ability to play with his throwing arm as much as his legs.
Mark Andrews 25+ Receiving Yards (-400)
Andrews appears to have made a full recovery from an ankle injury sustained in Week 11 last year that forced him to miss the remainder of the regular season.
Isaiah Riley ultimately emerged as a likely replacement, but the Coastal Carolina product was suffering from a hamstring injury and will not play Thursday.
The Ravens have the seventh-most targets for tight ends, according to StatMuse, and Andrews could benefit from an increased workload in Rielly's absence.
Andrews has recorded 25 or more receiving yards in each of his last five games, so it's easy to add this prop to the same game parlay.
Derrick Henry 80+ Rush Yards (-200)
It's hard to imagine a game where Henry doesn't have 80 or more rushing yards. The bruising running back ranks second in the league in yards per carry (6.3).
He has exceeded that number in seven of the past eight games, and has also given up several long runs of 20 yards or more.
Henry should be in for a treat when facing a Bengals team that ranks 25th among NFL defenses against the run based on the FTN Fantasy Defensive Adjusted Average Over Average (DVOA) metric .
Joe Burrow 2+ Passing Touchdowns (-175)
The Bengals often catch up because of their leaky defense.
As a result, the team's quarterback had no choice but to don the mantle of Superman to save his team from the predicament.
Therefore, the Bengals often have to give up runs because they tend to fall behind early, which explains why they rank 27th among NFL offenses in rushing percentage (39%). I'm explaining.
Burrow is arguably as important a player to the team as Jackson, ranking second in total QBR (76.3) with a 20-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
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Trying to slow down a quarterback of his quality is never easy, and the script of the game should create another big passing game for Burrow.
The Ravens have the third-best run defense by DVOA metrics, allowing just 2.2 yards per carry inside the red zone.
Given what is expected to be a high-scoring game, Burrow's arm remains the best for the Bengals to put points on the scoreboard.
Same-game parlay (+415, DraftKings)
- Lamar Jackson 2+ passing touchdowns
- Mark Andrews 25+ receiving yards
- Derrick Henry 80+ rushing yards
- Joe Burrow 2+ Passing Touchdowns
Why trust New York Post Betting?
Michael Arinze handicaps most major sports for the New York Post. During his betting career, he has won two 15-leg teasers and a 12-leg parlay, including eight games in the Little League World Series. Most recently, they accurately selected the finalists for the 2024 European Championship and Copa America.
