Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, October 24, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Ravens -13.5
Current Line: Ravens -13
Opening Total: 37
Current Total: 38
Money Line: Ravens -700 / Bills +500
The winless Buffalo Bills (0-5) will face a tough task on Sunday when they visit the Baltimore Ravens (4-2) off an overtime loss at New England last week. The Bills are coming off a bye week that should have helped them figure out some of their problems, but they could not be playing a much more difficult opponent at this point in the heavily favored Ravens (-13 on the current NFL betting lines).
Baltimore rebounded from its only other previous loss at Cincinnati by beating Cleveland 24-17 the following week. That should give Buffalo at least a little hope, especially considering the Ravens have won only one game this season by more than a touchdown. The one double-digit victory for Baltimore came at home two weeks ago, a 31-17 win over Denver as an eight-point favorite.
The Bills have covered one of their five games this season, a 38-30 road loss to the Patriots in Week 3 as 14-point underdogs. They looked like they might pick up their first win of the year at home against Jacksonville just prior to their bye, but the Jaguars rallied back from a pair of 10-point deficits to pull off a 36-26 victory.
Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick enjoyed his best performance of the season against Jacksonville with 220 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, but it still was not enough to earn a win. Fitzpatrick got wide receiver Lee Evans involved early by throwing a 45-yard touchdown strike to him within the first two minutes of the game, and Evans finished with five catches for 87 yards in the losing effort. Running back Fred Jackson also turned in a nice effort with 12 carries for 73 yards in his first game since Marshawn Lynch was traded to Seattle.
Despite the 23-20 loss to New England, the Ravens still rank second in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 15.8 points per game. They also own the league’s third-best secondary – giving up 175 yards per game – and are expected to have All-Pro safety Ed Reed back on the field after he missed the first six games following offseason hip surgery.
These teams have met just three times during the regular season since 1999, with Baltimore winning twice both straight-up and against the spread. The UNDER has cashed in each of the last three meetings and is 11-4-1 in the last 16 games against AFC opponents for the Ravens. The Bills are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 road games, including a 1-1 mark this season.
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