Baltimore Ravens at Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, 9/16/12, 1:00 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: Philadelphia -3
Current Betting Line: Philadelphia -2.5
Opening Total: 43.5
Current Total: 46
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Baltimore solidified itself as one of the main AFC contenders to reach the Super Bowl this year, considering it tallied a 44-13 blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. The Ravens enjoyed great success in running their no-huddle offense, with quarterback Joe Flacco completing 21 of 29 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns. “The tempo really helped us out because those guys can really get to the passer,” stated Flacco after the game. It will be difficult to enjoy the same type of performance on the road in this spot. Baltimore is 5-5 ATS off a win against a division rival the last two-plus seasons.
The Ravens will definitely be motivated to play this football game, with John Harbaugh returning to the Philadelphia area, as he served as the Eagles special teams and defensive backs coach under Andy Reid. Baltimore’s defense is still led by middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who came into camp at his lightest weight since his rookie campaign. The former Miami Hurricanes star tallied a game-high 14 tackles by the third quarter in the season opener.
Philadelphia out-gained Cleveland by a 246-yard margin, but was only able to manage a one-point victory as nine-point road favorites in Week 1. “You just have to go on to next week,” commented Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. He suffered through a horrible performance, but many are point out the fact that he didn’t get many reps due to suffering a minor injury during the preseason. Offensively, the team needs to get the ball in LeSean McCoy’s hands, as its won nine of 10 games when he reaches the 100-yard mark in rushing. Philadelhia is 3-0 ATS off a close road win by three or fewer points the last two-plus seasons.
The Eagles finished with 456 yards of total offense in the opener, while the defense held the Browns to just 12 first downs. Philadelphia was facing a very youthful offense on the road last week, which won’t be the case in taking on Baltimore in its home opener. These two teams last met on Nov. 23, 2008, with the Eagles dropping a 36-7 decision as one-point road underdogs.
Sports bettors will likely back the Eagles due to their 4-2 ATS mark as a home favorite of three or fewer points, while the Ravens are 2-8 ATS when playing on Sunday following a Monday night affair.
Don’t miss out on a winning season and let the NFL handicappers at Maddux Sports line your pockets with cash. Long term packages are available now!
