Ravens vs. Lions Odds, Betting Picks and Predictions for Week 3
Ravens vs. Lions Odds
| Ravens Odds | -8 |
| Lions Odds | +8 |
| Over/Under | 50 |
| Date | Sunday, Sept. 26* |
| Time | 1:00 p.m. |
| TV | CBS |
The Baltimore Ravens and the Detroit Lions will battle in the Motor City on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field. After Baltimore’s statement victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2, the market is bullish on the Ravens in Week 3, pricing them as greater than a touchdown favorite against the Lions.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup to see where bettors can find value at sportsbooks in this contest.
Baltimore Ravens -8 (-110)
After an embarrassing blown lead on Monday Night Football to open the season, the Ravens rebounded for a statement victory in Week 2 against the vaunted Chiefs. Baltimore beat Kansas City, despite having 15 players on injured reserve, in addition to having three starters inactive with injuries, and another two starters exit the contest early with an injury. Still, it is debatable that the Ravens beat Kansas City in a way that is sustainable going forward.
Baltimore’s defense has been arguably the most volatile unit in professional football through the first two weeks of the season. The Ravens forced the Las Vegas Raiders to punt on four consecutive drives to begin the game in Week 1. Last week, Baltimore held Patrick Mahomes and a dynamic Kansas City offense scoreless over the final 21 minutes and 50 seconds, but had surrendered 35 points in the first 38 minutes and 10 seconds of that contest. This unit continues to struggle to tackle in the open-field, has not been able to lock-in mentally for more than a quarter at a time, and is still dealing with a number of significant injuries to key players. Per The Athletic, the Ravens used 20 defensive players for at least one snap on Sunday Night Football as they try to figure out who is capable of growing into a reliable contributor on this side of the ball. The constant substitutions can result in poor on-field chemistry, including communication issues, which were painfully evident against the Chiefs. The Lions are far from an elite team, but they have a capable offense and could exploit some of these Baltimore vulnerabilities this weekend.
Detroit Lions +8 (-110)
Winless through two weeks, many pundits are denigrating Detroit and referring to them as possibly the worst team in football. The Lions are admittedly feeble on the defensive side of the ball, but Jared Goff has led a respectable offensive attack against two teams that met in the NFC Championship Game only two years ago. Detroit enters play in Week 3 averaging 25 points and 387 yards per game. The Lions were only out-gained by 12 yards against the 49ers, and actually had a 21 yard net advantage against the Packers, despite the 18 point loss. Penei Sewell has been a standout on the offensive line in back-to-back games. T.J. Hockenson is quickly becoming one of the best tight-ends in football. The Lions have an offense that could keep them competitive against a weak Baltimore defense.
However, if Detroit wants to have a chance to win on Sunday, they will need a better performance from their defense. This group allowed 31 points in the first half to San Francisco in their season opener and was victimized for another 35 points in Week 2 against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Amani Oruwariye has firmly entrenched himself in the conversation as the league’s worst cornerback after abysmal showings in each of the first two games. Alex Anzalone and Jamie Collins Sr. struggled mightily dealing with check down passes against Green Bay, allowing running back Aaron Jones to catch three touchdowns. The inability to contain bodies out of the backfield could be of major concern against Jackson, who ran for over 100 yards against Kansas City and will unquestionably try to use his feet frequently again in Week 3.
Ravens vs. Lions Picks
The market opened at over/under 48 points for this contest between the Ravens and the Lions, but has adjusted to over/under 50.5 at the time of this writing. Both of these teams have struggled mightily on the defensive side of the ball through two weeks this fall. Baltimore’s defense was laughably bad through the better part of three quarters against the Chiefs last week. Detroit allowed 31 points in a single half in Week 1, and was shredded for another 35 points in a Week 2 loss.
Bettors should not expect either of these teams to figure out their defensive issues ahead of this matchup. Both Baltimore and Detroit have capable offenses, which should result in quite a few scoring opportunities in this game. Thus far this fall, these two offenses have combined to score on all 11 of their trips to the red zone. Buy a point and a half back to get on the right side of 49, and take the over in this one.
PICK: Over 48.5 (-140)
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