Two teams looking for greater respect meet in Las Vegas on the season premiere of Monday Night Football. The Baltimore Ravens went 14-2 two seasons ago before flaming out in the divisional round of the playoffs at home. Last year, they snagged a wild card, beat Tennessee on the road but then lost in the divisional round again, and questions are swirling around Lamar Jackson. In Las Vegas, Jon Gruden is working his way through that ten-year, $100 million contract, but the Raiders have not made much progress yet.
Let’s take a closer look at this game from an online NFL betting point of view.
NFL Preview: Baltimore at Las Vegas (Monday, September 13)
When: Monday, September 13, 2021, 8:15 pm ET
Where: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
TV: ESPN / ABC
Radio: Westwood One
Live Stream: Hulu
NFL Odds: Baltimore -4.5
Why should you bet on the Ravens?
Baltimore has a terrific defensive front, and that unit should have a huge day against Las Vegas. The Raiders like to think of themselves as a smashmouth team, but their offensive line is still a work in progress, and it does not seem clear that they have the physicality to put together the sort of ground game that they would need to take the heat off quarterback Derek Carr. The Ravens were one of the top defenses against the run last year.
The Ravens also led the NFL in rushing a year ago. They have already lost three tailbacks, including J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, for the season, so it will be interesting if the free agent solutions they bring into town can pay off for them. Either way, they have the line to open holes for the running game and keep pressure off Jackson — or set him free for a scramble. The Ravens have the sort of grinding, patient offense that can squeeze the life out of opponents, as long as they can stay in the lead.
Why should you put your money on the Raiders?
Do you remember when Derek Carr led the Raiders to the playoffs, only to go down before the playoffs with a season-ending injury? That Carr has never really returned, except in flashes, and the team has not won consistently since then as a result. The Ravens will bottle up the Raiders’ running game, so if you like Las Vegas this time around, you see Carr turning back the clock and delivering passes down the field with accuracy.
The fact that Baltimore is missing their top three tailbacks means that Lamar Jackson will have to do more than usually on the offense. The Raiders need to make him their focus and find ways to take away his strengths, containing him in the pocket and demanding that he beat them down the field. He does have a cannon of an arm, but he is not as precise as some of the other great quarterbacks in the league.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
The AFC West is a more entertaining division when the Raiders are the sort of team that can live up to their bluster and challenge the other three teams. They have been lost in a long rebuild since before Gruden arrived, and his scorched-earth approach to roster building still has not resulted in a coherent team system. The Raiders are capable of pulling off the surprise, but I’m not biting on that. I predict a final score of Baltimore 28, Las Vegas 16.
NFL Betting Odds
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