NFL Handicapping – Browns vs Ravens Betting Spread / Matchup
The Ravens got over their tough 1-point loss to the Eagles with a solid win over the Patriots in their last game and now face a winless Browns’ team that is struggling on both sides of the ball.
Venue/ Stadium: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Time/Date: 8:20 PM EST Thursday, September 27, 2012
NFL Odds From: TopBet
Moneyline: OFF
Spread: Ravens -13
Over/Under: 43.5
Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens Preview
NFL lines have the Ravens as the big 13-point home favorite with a total of 43.5.
In their last games the Ravens beat the New England Patriots 31-30 while the Browns lost to the Buffalo Bills 24-14.
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Last season the Ravens beat the Browns twice and they have not lost to Cleveland since the 2007 season
The Ravens are tied atop the AFC North with the Cincinnati Bengals at 2-1.
Cleveland is 1-1-1 ATS with an Over/Under record of 1-2 and Baltimore is 2-1 ATS with an Over/Under record of 3-0.
Baltimore has been known for their D for the last few seasons, but in 2012 it is the offense that is carrying the team. Joe Flacco leads the Ravens and their 3rd ranked passing offense and WR Torrey Smith had a huge game against the Patriots and had 2 TD. Cleveland is dealing with injuries and suspensions in their secondary and that has shown with a pass defense, which only ranks 27th in the league.
Ray Rice broke the 100-yard rushing barrier for the first time in the Pats’ game and he will be handful facing a Browns’ run defense that only ranks 23rd in the league. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Ravens’ defense has not played well this season, but they have faced teams that have had good offenses. That is not the case for Cleveland, as they are led by rookies in QB Bradnon Weeden and RB Trent Richardson. After each of these guys had good games in the 2nd game of the season both struggled last game with Weeden getting picked off twice and Richardson only rushing for 27 yards averaging 2.3 yards per carry.
The Browns are not expected to win, so look for Weeden to air it out early and often and that has to a be a concern for a Baltimore pass defense that only ranks 28th in the league.
In some betting trends for this AFC North match up the Browns are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 road games, 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall, and they have an Under record of 6-1-1 in their last 8 games.
The Ravens are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games, 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record, and they have an Over record of 7-2 in their last 9 games following a ATS loss.
Jason’s Pick: The road team has covered the spread in the last 5 games between these 2 teams, but that trend will not continue. The Ravens will easily win this game and cover the big spread.
