Ravens vs. Raiders Best Bets, Expert Picks for Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football kicks off in Sin City, as the Las Vegas Raiders host the Baltimore Ravens at Allegiant Stadium. NFL betting analyst Nick Galaida has already previewed Ravens vs. Raiders odds, but he returns, joined by Andy Means and Matt Schmitto, to deliver their best bets of the night. As always, check out our NFL Betting Guide for more football tips.
Ravens vs. Raiders Best Bets, Expert Picks
Lamar Jackson to Score TD (+109), Caesars Sportsbook
By Nick Galaida
On Monday Night Football, Lamar Jackson draws an extremely favorable matchup against one of the worst defenses in the National Football League. Unfortunately for Jackson, he is unlikely to get much support from his backfield in this contest after both J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards suffered season-ending knee injuries during the preseason. Yet, for NFL bettors this offers an opportunity to bet on Jackson as a one-man-show. If Baltimore finds themselves in any goal-to-go scenarios in this game, it is likely that Jackson will have the ball in his hands with an opportunity to make a play. Considering that he does not have the greatest of wide receivers to target, it is entirely plausible that Jackson makes a run for the end-zone with his feet. In 2020, he had eight rushing touchdowns, counting the postseason. Against a weak Las Vegas defense, Jackson as an ‘anytime touchdown scorer’ is a wager that bettors should consider this evening.
Under 50.5 Points (-110), PointsBet Sportsbook
By Andy Means
There are plenty of statistics you can find that will make you think this game goes over the total (i.e. how bad the Raiders defense was last season), but I actually think this game comes in under. Why? This game is (arguably) projecting to have the fewest plays run in all of Week 1. In 2020, these two offenses were towards the bottom of the league in terms of pace of play. Throw in the plague of injuries the Ravens have faced in their backfield, and I am betting on this game being relatively low scoring.
Baltimore Ravens -4 (-110), BetMGM Sportsbook
By Matt Schmitto
Another road favorite might be the death of me, but my early research on the Raiders leaves me little choice. As we pointed out in our Raiders Betting & Fantasy Preview, the Raiders are projected to have a below-average offense and an extremely weak defense. Jon Gruden believers are out there who will point toward the Raiders consistently improving each year since he took over. In reality, though, the Raiders weren’t nearly as good as their .500 record in 2020 suggests. If not for a fluke win against Kansas City and a last-minute touchdown in Week 17, the Raiders would have finished 6-10, which is more indicative of their talent, or lack thereof. The Ravens defense on the other hand projects to be 2nd-best in the NFL. Baltimore’s backfield is thin after a bevy of injures during the preseason, but it’s not nearly problematic as people think. Rookie Ty’son Williams appeared more than serviceable during his preseason snaps. And lucky for Williams, he faces a defense that allowed 29.9 points per game in 2020, giving up the 3rd-most EPA in per run play in the league. I’d rather lay points with Harbaugh and Jackson than take them with Gruden and Carr on Monday Night Football. And the good thing is, with this sign-up bonus from BetMGM, you don’t need the Ravens to cover the points; simply click on the ad, bet $10 on the Ravens -4 and win $200 so long as they reach the end zone.
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