Ravens Vs. Buccaneers Betting Preview: Three Bets For ‘Thursday Night Football’
The Bucs need it in a big way, but do they have answers for Lamar?
Now that Week 7 of the NFL regular season is behind us, let's try to start Week 8 off on the winning track with the big “Thursday Night Football” matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Here are three bets to make for this marquee matchup between these high-profile playoff hopefuls. Let's start with the moneyline.
Ravens moneyline (+105, DraftKings Sportsbook)
Both teams enter this primetime game trending in different directions. The Bucs have lost two in a row and Tom Brady has struggled mightily. The offensive line hasn't protected him well and his outside weapons have been hampered by injuries all season long. Brady has been noticeably frustrated, and the Bucs have suffered consecutive losses to terrible teams in the Steelers and Panthers. The Ravens won a close, physical and emotionally draining game last week at home to the Browns, but Lamar Jackson's main target, tight end Mark Andrews, is banged up. Ultimately, this game is a coin flip as evidenced by the line movement all week. This game originally opened with the Ravens as slight 1.5-point road favorites. Now, as we approach game time, the Bucs are 2-point favorites. In dealing with coin-flip games, I always bet on the better quarterback to win outright. There is no question that Brady is the greatest QB of all time. However, in the current NFL, the group of Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford and Russell Wilson are all struggling. The new era of Jackson, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert are all playing at a higher level. So, on the big stage of TNF, I like Jackson and the Ravens to win the game outright on the moneyline at +105 on DraftKings.
Over 46 points (-110, DraftKings)
I expect both star QBs to play well on the big stage and bright lights of primetime. Both teams have injuries in the secondary, and I think Brady and Jackson will take calculated shots down the field all night. The Buccaneers have the advantage over Baltimore because Brady has better weaponry with Mike Evans. However, Jackson is such a dynamic runner that his big play could come from his legs. That threat to run could also open up the field for one of his lesser targets. Both teams like to rely on the power run game to control the clock and wear down opposing defenses, and I don't think this will be any different. However, the big-play ability both quarterbacks possess will be the difference in winning or losing and that's why I’m going to bet the over 46 total points available on DraftKings at -110.
Lamar Jackson over combined 275.5 rushing and passing yards (-115, DraftKings)
My final bet for this game is on Jackson, a player who will not only be the X-factor Thursday night but is the key to the entire season for the Ravens. In addition to continuing to improve from throwing from the pocket every year, Jackson is the Ravens' leading rusher this season as well. The only chance for the Ravens to win every week is for Jackson to wow us with his dual-threat ability. In fact, Jackson even ranks top five in the NFL in rushing. Against Tampa Bay, he'll dazzle on the ground and through the air. That's why I'm betting him to go over combined 275.5 rushing and passing yards -115 available on DraftKings.
