Baltimore Ravens at St. Louis Rams Sunday NFL Betting Preview

Baltimore Ravens at St. Louis Rams
Sunday, 9/25/11, 4:05 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: Baltimore -3.5
Current Betting Line: Baltimore -5
Opening Total: 41.5
Current Total: 42
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Chiefs Ravens NFL Preview — The Baltimore Ravens are playing their second consecutive game on the road after dropping a 26-13 contest last week versus the Tennessee Titans

Baltimore turned in a dud performance last week in dropping a 26-13 contest to the Tennessee Titans as 5.5-point road favorites, getting out-gained by 203 yards in the process. “The same performance we took responsibility for against Pittsburgh, we take responsibility for against Tennessee,” commented Ravens head coach Jim Harbaugh. Of course, it’s always nice to create seven turnovers like it did in a 35-7 win over the Steelers in the opening week as one-point home favorites. The Ravens will now need to prepare to face a desperate football team on Sunday that’s looking for its first win. Baltimore is 19-17 ATS overall and 14-11 ATS as a favorite.

The Ravens finished with just 229 yards of total offense last week and turned the ball over three times. Quarterback Joe Flacco’s performance dropped off significantly and is aiming to move his passer rating above 100 again, as the team is 18-2 in that situation. Defensively, the team has spent most of the week preparing for a no-huddle attack from the Rams, as quarterback Sam Bradford is likely to pass the ball all over the field. Baltimore is 0-2 against St. Louis on the road in this series, but captured a 22-3 victory in the last meeting on Oct. 14, 2007.

St. Louis knows its back is up against the wall after starting off the season with consecutive losses against the Philadelphia Eagles (31-13) and New York Giants (28-16). The Rams failed to cover both of those contests by 14 and five points respectively. Big problems are being found in the red zone, as Bradford is accumulating yards, but not touchdowns. “Just too many mistakes inside the 20-yard line,” commented Bradford. “When you get down there you have to come away with touchdowns.” St. Louis is 8-9 ATS in home games and 3-5 ATS when playing in September.

The Rams will likely want to spread things out and continue using the no-huddle offense, as it created problems for the Giants last week. The receiving core of Mike Sims-Walker, Brandon Gibson and Danario Alexander could exploit a weakened Ravens secondary. It’s also important that the offense marks Baltimore safety Ed Reed, as he’s known for making big plays in crucial parts of the game. “You’ve got to be aware of where Ed Reed is,” stated Bradford in practice this week. “He seems to make players every game from out of nowhere.” The perennial All-Pro has made 22 of his 56 interceptions in the fourth quarter and will likely be trying to trap the young signal-caller into making a late mistake.