The Baltimore Ravens (-2.5) are heading south to take on the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This early afternoon game is scheduled to get underway at 1:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to CBS.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Atlanta Falcons Betting Preview
Atlanta is playing the role of underdog and is currently getting 2.5 points in this Sunday game. The Ravens are also receiving -140 moneyline odds while the Falcons are +120. It appears that there will probably be multiple decent in-game betting opportunities for this match, and Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 49 points.
This game’s line opened at 3. The total has yet to change after it was set initially at 49.
The Ravens are 5-6 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 0.6 units so far. The team has posted an O/U mark of 5-6. The Falcons have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors this season, losing 5.7 units. The team is 3-8 ATS and has an O/U record of 6-5.
The Ravens have gone 6-5 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Falcons are 4-7 SU.
Atlanta enters this matchup on a zero-game winning streak while Baltimore has lost zero in a row. The Ravens are coming off a resounding 34-17 victory over Oakland in Week 12. Lamar Jackson completed only 14 passes on 25 attempts for 178 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Gus Edwards (118 yards on 23 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Jackson (71 yards on 11 carries, one TD) led the ground attack. Hayden Hurst (three receptions, 25 yards) and Michael Crabtree (three catches, 21 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Atlanta most-recently fell 31-17 to New Orleans in Week 12. Matt Ryan completed 35-of-47 passes for 377 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Tevin Coleman (six rushing yards on eight attempts) handled the running game while Julio Jones (11 receptions, 147 yards) and Calvin Ridley (eight catches, 93 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Baltimore has run the ball on 42.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Atlanta has an overall rush percentage of 34.7 percent. The Ravens have rushed for 122 yards/game and have 14 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Falcons are logging 83 rushing yards per game and have eight total rush TDs.
If 2018 numbers are any indication, then the Ravens may hold an advantage when it comes to RB effectiveness. Their running backs has generated 4.1 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 3.9 YPC to opponents. The Falcons have registered 3.9 yards per carry and given up 5.1 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Ravens offense has logged 262 yards per game through the air overall and has 14 passing scores so far. The Falcons have recorded a superb 337 pass yards per contest and have 24 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Baltimore should have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed 92 rush yards and 221 pass yards per game. The Atlanta defense has allowed 285.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 123.7 yards per game on the ground. The Ravens are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.44 to opponents, while the Falcons have given up a 7.38 ANY/A.
Offensively, Jackson has put up 265 passing yards this season. He’s completed 21-of-37 attempts with two scores through the air and two interceptions. He has a 5.21 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.06 over the last two outings.
Look for a balanced attack offensively from Baltimore in this one. Gus Edwards (182 rushing yards on the year), Lamar Jackson (190 rush yards, two rush TDs, 0 receiving yards) and Mark Andrews (318 receiving yards, two TDs) have each played big roles recently.
Matt Ryan has connected on 286-of-400 passes for 3,392 yards, 23 TDs and four INTs for Atlanta. His ANY/A stands at 8.07 for the season and 6.49 across his last two outings.
Look for Ryan to distribute the football early and often in this one. Julio Jones (1,187 receiving yards and two receiving TDs this season), Mohamed Sanu (490 receiving yards, three receiving TDs), and Calvin Ridley (593 receiving yards, eight TDs) have collectively notched 520 receiving yards and two TDs over the last couple of games, seeing 23, 10, and 17 targets over that stretch, respectively.
RELATED: Week 13 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Prediction: Ravens vs. Falcons
SU Winner – Falcons, ATS Winner – Falcons, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Baltimore defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 32 times this season. Atlanta has registered just 21 sacks.
The Atlanta offense has lost seven fumbles in 2018 while the Baltimore offense has let five get away.
The Ravens offense has registered five pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Falcons have put up seven such plays.
The Baltimore defense has allowed two pass plays of 40+ yards, while Atlanta has given up six such plays.
The Baltimore offense has created three rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Atlanta has created four such runs.
The Ravens defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Falcons have given up 10 such runs.
Baltimore has averaged 5.1 yards per carry over its past three games and 5.3 over its last two.
Atlanta has averaged 3.3 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.1 over its last two.
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