NFL Football Betting Preview: Ravens VS Bengals

It's a battle of opposites tonight in Cincinnati as the Bengals host the Baltimore Ravens in an early AFC North showdown in the first game of a Monday Night Football doubleheader.

The Bengals (-2.5 on WagerWeb.com; O/U: 40.5) have one of the league's top offenses, with a trio unmatched by most teams in quarterback Carson Palmer, running back Rudi Johnson and receiver Chad Johnson. Palmer completed 62.3 percent of his passes last year for a career-high 4,035 yards and 28 touchdowns, while Rudi Johnson rushed for 1,309 yards and 12 TDs and Chad Johnson caught 87 passes for 1,369 yards and seven scores.

Palmer is fully recovered now from his devastating 2005 knee injury, and Chad Johnson, for one, expects big things for himself and the Cincy offense this season.

"I'm bringing sexy back for this year. It's that Ocho Cinco. It's going to be a beautiful season. Trust me, it's going to be a good year," Johnson said.

Offense hasn't been the problem for the Bengals, who have gotten off to fast starts the past two seasons (4-0 in 2005 and 3-0 in 2006) and have beaten the Ravens four of the their defense that caused them to go 8-8 last year.

Defense is the name of the game for the Ravens, who are the defending AFC North 2006 regular season on a tear, going 9-1. Baltimore has arguably the best defensive unit in the league, led by All-Pros Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

That unit did lose linebacker Adalius Thomas in the offseason, but Coach Brian Billick expects a smooth transition.

"As much as they hated to lose Thomas, this group is very confident that it can reformulate itself,"Billick said.

It's the offense that needs an upgrade, and it may have got it in bringing in running back Willis McGahee to replace Jamal Lewis. McGahee was acquired in a trade with Buffalo, as last year the Ravens only averaged 102.3 yards rushing and ranked 28th in the league in scoring.

"(Willis) came here for one reason: to run the ball and make our offense better," wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "I think he did that as soon as he got here."

McGahee's presence may open up the passing lanes for QB Steve McNair, who threw for 3,050 yards and 16 TDs last season but struggled along with the rest of the offense in a 16-5 playoff loss to the Colts.

Check out NFL Football Betting Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook.