Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Baltimore Ravens, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, November 28, 2010, 4:15 pm EST, TV: FOX
Opening Line: Ravens -9.5
Current Line: Ravens -7.5
Opening Total: 42
Current Total: 42.5
Money Line: Ravens -330 / Bucs +270
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3) and Baltimore Ravens (7-3) have both been known for playing outstanding defense over the years, which has played a major role in helping lead each team to a Super Bowl win over the last decade. They meet on Sunday in Baltimore looking to continue their strong play this season and stay in the playoff races of their respective conferences.
The Ravens (-7.5) and Buccaneers have each won three of their last four games with the loss coming at Atlanta by similar scores. Tampa Bay lost 27-21 to the Falcons three weeks ago but has rebounded to beat Carolina and San Francisco since then by a combined score of 52-16. Meanwhile, Baltimore bounced back from a 26-21 loss at the Georgia Dome by crushing the Panthers 37-13 on the road last week.
Tampa’s defense has not been the team’s strength this year, but posting a 21-0 shutout on the road against the 49ers last week was certainly impressive. The Bucs had owned the NFL’s 22nd-ranked defense going into that game, and now they are ranked 10th in scoring defense (20.6 points per game) and 16th in yards allowed (337.3 yards per game). They held San Francisco to 189 yards, sacked quarterback Troy Smith six times, forced two turnovers and blanked an opponent for the first time since 2004.
Baltimore does not have a shutout this season and has not been as dominant defensively either yet still ranks in the Top 10 in a few key categories. The Ravens rank eighth in yards allowed (311.8 per game) and fifth in points allowed (17.8 per game), giving them a chance in every game as long as their offense comes through. They have scored 20 points or more in seven games but have still dropped two of those with both losses coming on the road (at New England and Atlanta).
Running back Ray Rice could have a huge day for Baltimore against Tampa Bay’s 29th-ranked run defense, as he has not rushed for more than 88 yards since Week 5 against Denver. Rice scored a touchdown last week for the first time since that game against the Broncos and will be facing a team that has surrendered 136.5 rushing yards per game on the ground. The Buccaneers have given up 130 rushing yards or more in all three of their losses this season.
Tampa Bay is 5-0 against the spread on the road to go along with a 4-1 straight-up record. The Ravens are 4-0 SU at home but have gone 2-2 ATS in those games. The last two meetings have resulted in shutouts, and the UNDER has cashed in the last four games between the teams.
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