Our Best Bets went 0-4 for the second Sunday in a row. Sunday afternoons have not been kind to us. However, we have been able to bounce back on Monday Nights fairly well. With our Best Bets sitting at 1-4 for the week, we need a win to end the slide. Tonight, The 1-1 Lions travel to Baltimore to take on the 1-1 Ravens. Many are slating this game as a potential Super Bowl matchup. At the very least, it should be a much more entertaining game than the Giants-Chiefs game last night. I have gone through the available bets and picked the one that I believe will hit. Let’s make some money!

Best Bet

Ravens -4.5

Lions @ Ravens

These two teams don not have much history playing each other. They have played 7 times, and the Ravens are 6-1 in the matchup history. The most recent game was on October 22, 2023, where the Ravens won 38-6.

The Ravens are 4.5 point favorites in this game with the points total being set at 53.5. The books are expecting a shootout in this game featuring high flying offenses and defenses that have let up plenty of points. The public are favoring the Ravens so far. 90% of the bets are being placed on the Ravens to win, 63% of the bets are being placed on them to cover, and 82% of the bets are being placed on the under.

Game Odds

Lions Offense

The Lions do not necessarily have the same high-flying offense that they did last year. They came out and struggled in Week 1 against the Packers and then bounced back in Week 2 against the Bears. So far it is difficult to say what to expect from this offense. Over 2 games, they have averaged 267 pass yards which is 5th in the league. Jared Goff has passed for 559 yards and 6 TDs. His primary target has been Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown has 13 receptions for 160 yards and 3 TDs. Most of this offensive production came in the blowout win against the Bears last week. This would be the matchup to watch tonight as the Ravens have been known to let up a lot of yards through the air. The Lions run game is averaging 111 yards in the first 2 games, which is 15th in the NFL. Their leading rusher is Jahmyr Gibbs who has 21 carries for 113 yards and 1 TD. He has also been used frequently in the pass game. He is complemented by David Montgomery who has a more physical run style than the speedy Gibbs. The Ravens have been fairly solid against the run. The point of concern for the Lions will be their offensive line, who has not looked nearly as dominant as they did a year ago. As shown in the game against the Packers, if you can get pressure on Goff and stop the run, you can beat the Lions.

Lions Defense

On defense, the Lions have averaged 24 points allowed over 2 games. They are allowing an average of 196 pass yards which is 12th in the league. On the ground, they are allowing 106 yards per game which is 15th in the league. They face a high-powered offense in the Ravens tonight, who can move the ball very well on the ground. The two-headed monster of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will be drawing a majority of the focus for this defense. They come into this game a little banged up with middle linebacker Jack Campbell dealing with an ankle injury, defensive lineman Marcus Davenport being out with a chest injury, and defensive backs DJ Reed and Kerby Joseph both listed as questionable.

Ravens Offense

The Ravens have scored 40 and 41 points in the first 2 games of the seasons. They lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Bills in Week 1 and won handily against the Browns in Week 2. To no ones surprise, they are doing it primarily on the ground. They are the 5th ranked rush attack averaging 141 yards on the ground. They face a Lions defense that is banged up and has shown that they can be run on. The Packers ran for 78 yards on them in Week 1. Josh Jacobs had some success grinding out the game against this Detroit defense. Derrick Henry has rushed 29 times for 192 yards and 2 TDs. He struggled last week against a stingy Browns defense and is looking for a bounce back game. Add in the run threat of Lamar Jackson and the Lions might have their hands full all night. Through the air, the Ravens have been effective but not blowing anyone away. They are averaging 195 yards a game, which is 23rd in the league. Their leading receiver is Zay Flowers who has 14 receptions for 218 yards and 1 TD. Flowers could be in line for a busy night with a dinged-up Lions secondary.

Ravens Defense

Historically, the Ravens have always been known for their defense. Through 2 games, are allowing 29 points per game. That is mainly coming from the 41 points allowed to the Bills in Week 1. The Bills, or Josh Allen for that matter, just went on a tear in the 4th quarter to pull out a miraculous win. Prior to the 4th quarter, the Ravens were stifling the offense and were cruising to what everyone thought would be a statement win in Week 1. Instead, they stumbled down the stretch. They bounced back in Week 2 to blow out the Browns. They have a fellow bounce back team in the Lions who are going to be focusing on trying to run the ball to set up their pass game. They have been allowing a lot of pass yards, again mainly due to the Bills game. They will most likely struggle tonight against a Detroit offense that does like to pass the ball. If they can get after Goff, they should be able to shut down the pass game.

Best Bet Background – Ravens – 4.5

The Ravens are playing at home tonight. Lamar Jackson has a 7-2 record on Monday Night Football. I believe that the Ravens are a more complete team. The Lions offensive line was a huge concern in the game against the Packers. If the Ravens are able to get after the quarterback and disrupt what the Lions like to do, then they should be able to control the game. My one concern would be the fact that the Ravens have shown that they let up big plays through the air, which points to a backdoor cover. Either way, this should be a high scoring affair, and I would expect the Ravens to win by a touchdown.