ESPN Monday Night Football: Ravens vs. Texans Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
The Houston Texans’ playoff hopes are dwindling by the day but they can put a damper on the Baltimore Ravens’ postseason aspirations with a win tonight on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
According to Week 14 NFL odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com, the Ravens are 3-point favorites against the Texans on Monday night. The over/under total for this game is currently 46 points.
The Ravens enter Monday night’s game with an 8-4 record but are 5-6-1 against the spread according to latest NFL trends. They’re 3-3 on the road this year but have covered in three of those six games with one push. The under has also hit in seven of their 12 games this season.
The Texans dropped to 5-7 with their loss to the Eagles last Thursday and are now just 5-7 against the spread. They’re 3-3 at home this season but have failed to cover in four of this six games at Reliant Stadium. The over has hit in eight of their 12 games.
Monday Night Free Pick:
We think the Ravens will fair a little better in primetime this week than when they lost to the Steelers on Sunday Night Football in Week 13. That was a game they could have won had Joe Flacco not been stripped in the final minutes (or had succeeded in leading the Ravens into field goal range to tie in the final seconds). Flacco should have a much easier time against the league’s worst secondary and Anquan Boldin may have a field day matching up against the Texans’ inexperienced corners. That said, the Ravens need to get Ray Rice more involved in the offense because leaving Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson on the sidelines is an absolute must. Houston is 1-4 against the spread in its last five home games and 1-4 in their last five as an underdog. Meanwhile, the Ravens are 4-1 ATS in their last five Monday night games and 6-2 in their last eight games following an ATS loss. Our pick is the Ravens –3.
2010 NFL ESPN MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL FREE PICK: RAVENS –3