Monday Night Football Betting Picks: Ravens at Rams
Monday Night Football remains as the final Week 12 contest during a strong week for the site. The 49ers covered three points easily last night to make the site 3 for 3 on the week. Matt Schmitto grabbed the Colts +3.5 on Thursday and the Cowboys +6.5 early Sunday evening. The pressure is on for Monday night with online betting sites tabbing the Ravens as road favorites. Can we close out a four-game sweep?
NFL Betting Tips: Use RotoGrinders’ new odds comparison tool to compare NFL odds across the online sports betting industry and determine which sportsbook has the best odds for your NFL betting picks.
Monday Night Football Betting Picks — Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Rams
Use our FanDuel Sportsbook promo code.
Baltimore Ravens -3.5
Los Angeles Rams +3.5
Over/Under: 47.5
72% of bets backing Baltimore, per VegasInsider.com with 48% of bets on the under as of Thursday morning.
The stock on the Baltimore Ravens is up after a couple of dominant performances in back-to-back weeks. After clobbering the Patriots at home two weeks ago, Baltimore destroyed the Bengals in a typical letdown spot. Now, at +500 to win the SuperBowl on FanDuel and behind the leadership of MVP front-runner, Lamar Jackson (+100), the Ravens look to secure a signature road victory in Los Angeles.
The exploits of Lamar Jackson cannot be denied. With already 781 rushing yards, Jackson needs a measly 43 rushing yards per game in his last six to tie the quarterback rushing record of Michael Vick (1039 yards). Barring injury, that record seems near certain to be broken with plenty of room to spare. Jackson is not just a running back, though, as his completion percentage is up to 66.3% from 58.2% in 2018. The Ravens go as Lamar goes…
Or, perhaps, how the defense goes, as well. The Ravens have not allowed greater than 350 total yards in six straight contests — forcing 12 turnovers and allowing a staggering 16 points per game. With a defense playing so well and a commitment to running the football, the Ravens are the archetype for a successful playoff team.
The Rams playoff destiny is in jeopardy with Monday night’s game representing a must-win situation. The 49ers and Seahawks are going blow-for-blow atop the division with the Vikings 1.5 games ahead of the Rams for the final Wild Card spot. A victory tonight keeps the Rams afloat to close out a tough schedule.
The Rams will return Brandin Cooks who cleared concussion protocol after his second concussion in 2019. Head trauma concerns aside, Cooks certainly add a downfield dimension to a Rams’ offense that has struggled without him. Aside from a strong performance against the Bengals, the Rams, and Jared Goff struggled to move the football in his absence. The status of Robert Woods — who returned to practice after a personal issue kept him out of Week 11 — is still up in the air. A return for both receivers could only help in a really tough matchup at home.
The Monday Night Football Pick
The line opened at -2.5 in the Ravens favor and has been bet all the way to -3.5. As much as I love that the line moved across three points for a home team, the Ravens are in such dominant form. Their style of play will travel well with a defense and running game primed for a playoff run. The Rams need this game in the worst way but continue to struggle to protect Jared Goff. Consequently, the Rams defense — albeit in pretty good matchups — has not ceded more than 20 points since Week 5. With both teams fighting for points and the Ravens’ desire to take the air out of the ball, I am going to take the under.
The Pick: Under 47.5
Monday Night Football Betting Picks — First Touchdown
DraftKings Sportsbook normally offers a promotion for each primetime football game on first touchdown bets. If the player you bet on doesn’t score the first touchdown but scores a touchdown at any time, you will receive your bet back as a free bet. Just be sure to opt into the promo before placing your bet. Here are a few options.
Lamar Jackson +1050
Mark Andrews +1100
Cooper Kupp +1200
Monkey Knife Fight Player Props
Don’t live in a state with legal online sports betting? Click the following link to make NFL prop picks at Monkey Knife Fight and get up to a $500 deposit bonus using the promo code GRINDERS.
Here are my favorite Monkey Knife Fight picks for Monday Night Football:
Jared Goff Under 250.5 Passing Yards
Mark Andrews Under 4.5 Receptions
Cooper Kupp Over 74.5 Receiving Yards
Lamar Jackson Over 65.5 Rushing Yards
Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images