NFL Betting – Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens
The Washington Redskins (7-5 SU, 5-6-1 ATS) are trying desperately to hold on to their playoff hopes. On Sunday they will travel about 40 miles and line up against the Baltimore Ravens (8-4 SU, 9-3 ATS) in NFL pro football sports betting action that is slated to kick off at 8:15 PM ET at M&T Bank Stadium (artificial turf) in Baltimore.
In the BetUS NFL football betting odds, the Ravens are listed as a five-point favorite, with a posted total of 36 points.
BetUS Sportsbook NFL betting odds: BALTIMORE -5, Total 36
NOTABLE STAT: Redskins have scored one points for every 19.6 yards gained
KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: Ravens are 6-1 SU & ATS in last seven
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* WASH 1-5-1 ATS in its last seven games
* WASH has played seven of its last eight games UNDER the total
* WASH has won four of its last five road games SU
* BALT has won and covered six of its last seven games
* BALT has played six of its last seven games OVER the total
* BALT has won and covered five of its last six home games
* BALT has played seven of its last nine home games OVER the total
The Redskins are 7-5, which puts them just a half-game ahead of Philadelphia and a game behind Dallas in the NFC East. They are not out of it, but they could find themselves having to battle Chicago (or Minnesota), Atlanta and New Orleans for a final wild card spot. The Ravens are in a pretty good position, a game ahead of Miami and New England as they project themselves in the AFC wild card race, and still just a game behind Pittsburgh for the AFC North division lead.
Clinton Portis has 1228 yards on the ground, which means he is projected to have over 1600 on the season. But Portis has been nothing sensational in three of his last four ballgames. And while we were praising quarterback Jason Campbell and the Redskins for being able to pick up Jim Zorn’s offense so well early in the season, this team has ground to a halt recently, scoring just four touchdowns in the last four contests. Campbell went the first eight games without throwing an interception, but has two TDs and four picks in the last four, suffering 16 sacks in that time.
We say all that because when you handicap this game, you have to consider that in order to go with Washington, you’re going to have to project that the ‘Skins will be able to perform much better than they have in recent weeks, against a defense that is ranked first in the NFL in rushing yards allowed AND passing yards allowed at home, is third overall in points allowed (15.8 ppg), permits just 3.5 yards a carry and 5.5 per passing attempt, and has covered six of their last seven games, while the Redskins have bested the line in only one of their last seven.
On top of that, Washington has some real offense to contend with. After a rocky start where the Ravens went 2-3, Joe Flacco has settled down in a big way, throwing 11 TD passes with just two interceptions in the last seven ballgames, hitting a quarterback rating of over 100 four times in that period. That’s very heady stuff for a rookie. And Baltimore’ rushing game may not be super-efficient, but it has Le’Ron McClain producing (174 yards last two weeks).
Mark Clayton may not be able to repeat his 164-yard performance from last week, but there is still quite a bit to worry about, when you consider the re-emergence of Derrick Mason and the contributions of Todd Heap (27 catches). Okay, so Baltimore does not look like the type that will run it up and down the field, but somehow they have managed to pile up 34 points or more in four of their last five games. And when you look at it, only the league’s best (Titans, Giants, Steelers, Colts) have been able to slow these guys down.
Right now Baltimore is on a different level. We’ll lay the five points with the Ravens, the favorite in the BetUS NFL pro football betting odds.
