NFL Thursday Night Football Betting Preview: Odds Favor Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers on “Thursday Night Football,” kicking off at 8:25pm ET. The Ravens opened as 2.5-point favorites, and that line has hung fairly steady, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The trends are not in Baltimore?s favor for this game. They’re 1-5 against the spread in their last six games, while the Steelers are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games. Additionally, Baltimore is just 4-10-1 ATS in its last 15 home games against the AFC North. That helps explain why the OddsShark prediction models have the Steelers winning 21-18.
The over/under is set at 44.5 points. The total has gone over in five of Pittsburgh?s last six games, and in four of Baltimore?s last six games. Of course, the short week of “Thursday Night Football” has led to some ugly football, so that is something to keep in mind when considering the over/under.
Baltimore?s injury report includes cornerback Lardarius Webb (back) and right guard Marshal Yanda (foot). Webb was a full participant in practice all week, but is questionable given the short week. If Webb is unable to play, Chykie Brown would move into the starting lineup, and Asa Jackson would be the nickel back. Yanda has been a full participant in practice and is expected to play.
The Steelers’ injury report has running back/return man Dri Archer (ankle) and wide receiver Lance Moore (groin) both ruled out. Archer returned two kicks and had one touch on offense before being forced out of last Sunday?s game against the Browns. Rookie Markus Wheaton will replace Archer as the kick returner.
The New England Patriots remain three-point favorites against the Vikings for this weekend. The line opened at 4.5 points immediately after their loss to the Miami Dolphins, and quickly dropped to three points. It has remained there as public money continues to come in on New England. The over/under opened at 48.5 and inched up to 49, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New England wrapped up its first practice of the week on Wednesday. Rob Gronkowski was a limited participant in practice, but he is expected to play on Sunday. Center Ryan Wendell and defensive tackle Chris Jones were also limited. Wendell missed the second half on Sunday. Jones has not played since suffering an ankle injury in the Patriots’ preseason opener, and was limited all last week in practice.
Photo via Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports
