NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round Betting Picks for Titans at Ravens
The Tennessee Titans ended the playoff run (and perhaps dynasty) of the New England Patriots before it got started. A much more formidable foe awaits the Titans in Baltimore. The Ravens are massive home favorites on Saturday night to move on to the AFC Championship. Do Derrick Henry and the Titans have enough magic for another upset?
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Divisional Round Betting Picks — Titans at Ravens
53% of bets backing the Ravens and 57% of bets are on the under, per VegasInsider.com.
NFL Super Bowl 2020 Odds
NFL Super Bowl 54 Winner
Baltimore Ravens +200 – DraftKings Sportsbook
Tennessee Titans +3000 – FanDuel Sportsbook
AFC Champion
Baltimore Ravens -135 – FanDuel Sportsbook
Minnesota Vikings +650 – PointsBet
NFL Divisional Round — Titans at Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens begin their journey as the prohibitive favorite to win the Super Bowl with a home matchup against the Tennessee Titans. Mirroring the afternoon Saturday game between a top seed and a surprise opponent, the sixth-seeded Titans defeated the Patriots and will travel to Baltimore to take a crack at the top contender from the AFC. Unlike the Vikings, though, the Titans were projected within a touchdown of the Patriots in the Wild Card contest. Now, Tennessee is a considerable underdog to move on to the AFC Championship.
The Titans unsurprisingly featured Derrick Henry against the Patriots stout defense. The workhorse running back accumulated 204 total yards on 35 touches. Only 58 additional yards were collected by the Titans en route to a 20-13 victory over the favored Patriots. The game, and potentially the Patriots’ dynasty, ended when Logan Ryan returned an interception for nine yards and a score.
The Ravens finished the regular season against Cleveland in a meaningless game, giving top stars an opportunity to rest. Lamar Jackson did not take a snap and Mark Ingram rested an injured calf. Ingram was limited at Thursday’s practice and is still questionable to suit up. If Ingram could not play, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill would split the backfield work. Mark Andrews was limited in practice, as well, but seems likely to play.
Baltimore finished the season ranked first in both points scored per game (33.2) and average scoring margin (+15.6). Their 37.2 rushing attempts per game dwarfed the field as the Ravens rely on the legs of both running backs and the eventual MVP, Lamar Jackson. Jackson was the most dynamic player in the NFL — passing for more than 3,000 yards while setting a league record for quarterbacks with 1,206 rushing yards. The superstar threw 36 touchdown passes while rushing for seven yards. In short, the Titans’ defense is tasked with what seemed to be nearly impossible this season — stopping Lamar Jackson. Jackson will certainly be a popular DFS option in both full lineup and single-game contests over the weekend.
The weather forecast for this game was initially a bit worrisome. That said, the most extreme winds and conditions seem to be slated for after the game and overnight.
NFL Divisional Round Betting Picks — Titans at Ravens
Initially opening at ten points, the spread for this game sits at 9.5 at the time of this writing. Before action tips the scales back to ten points, I am going to jump on this number for the Ravens. Once the line moves to ten, I will be less interested. With both AFC game spreads resting at 9.5 when this is published, I am also in favor of teasing both lines to -2.5. For this game, though, give me the Ravens.
The Pick: Baltimore Ravens -9.5 (-108) (PointsBet)
Divisional Round Player Props – Titans at Ravens
NFL Divisional Round — Ryan Tannehill Under 220.5 Passing Yards on DraftKings Sportsbook
Ryan Tannehill was extremely unproductive in a surprise upset of the Patriots. Granted, Derrick Henry was able to do so much of the heavy lifting that Tannehill was not tasked with much to get the win. A matchup on the road with the Ravens will be similarly difficult and both teams play with similar philosophies. Run first, run second, run, run run… My fear is garbage time passing yards but I do think this game stays close enough because of the offensive gameplans. Give me the under.
Under 220.5 Passing Yards -124
NFL Divisional Round — Nick Boyle Under 13.5 Receiving Yards on DraftKings Sportsbook
Let’s face it, Nick Boyle is not a focal point in the offense. Despite possessing three tight ends as weapons, Boyle is clearly the third choice amongst the group and a long distance away from other pass-catchers. Boyle has ten yards or less in four of the last five Ravens’ games and rarely sees multiple targets. Hopefully, Boyle doesn’t get loose on his lone catch. I will happily take the under.
Under 13.5 Receiving Yards -105
NFL Divisional Round Player Props at Monkey Night Fight
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Here are my favorite picks from Monkey Knife Fight for the opening AFC Divisional Round game:
Ryan Tannehill Under 215.5 Passing Yards
Lamar Jackson Over 200.5 Passing Yards
Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images