Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Monday 8/20/18
Ravens vs. Colts Preview and Predictions in NFL
NFL Previews 17th August 2018 By Charles Jay for Scores And Stats
No one is even pretending that the Indianapolis Colts are going to have even a ghost of chance to make the AFC playoffs without Andrew Luck. And with his injury and rehabilitation being the subject of a lot of mystery, it was a big relief for Colts fans to see him out on the field, at last, in the 2018 pre-season opener. His presence opens up a lot of enthusiastic possibilities for a team that is starting fresh under new head coach Frank Reich and his staff.
The Baltimore Ravens naturally hope they can get something fresh out of quarterback Joe Flacco, who seems to have gotten stake the past couple of seasons. Lamar Jackson has come in as a rookie to jazz things up a bit, and there is also another Heisman Trophy winner making some noise. This team has some of the elements to make a run at the AFC North crown, but they found the missing pieces.
National Football League Previews
The Ravens have had two pre-season games to iron out the kinks. In the opener, at the Hall of Fame Game, they beat the Chicago Bears 17-16, then had a dominant effort against the Los Angeles Rams, blowing them away by a 33-7 score. The Colts went to Seattle and beat the Seahawks 19-17, but the big victory was that Luck, the quarterback upon whom they hang their hopes, was able to play with the first-team offense and play well.
So these teams will meet up in front of what promises to be a rather enthusiastic crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Monday night.
TV: 8 PM ET, ESPN. LINE: Pick'em. O/U: 43.5
ABOUT THE RAVENS: Whether John Harbaugh intends to keep three quarterbacks on the roster when the regular season starts is a good question. Lamar Jackson is, after all, a rookie, and the head coach probably did not envision him having a full-time role, utilizing the whole playbook if the situation demanded it. So that is why the progress of Robert Griffin III is well worth monitoring. Griffin, who was with the Cleveland Browns two years ago but got injured, has started only five games since 2014. But he has shaken off the rust, completing twelve of 18 passes for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the two pre-season games, and was impressive in training camp right from the outset. The learning curve with Jackson will be high, but the Ravens' staff is integrating some things into the playbook that are tailored for his talents and therefore, in a sense, also work for Griffin. Maybe they will keep him, or use him as a trade piece. But based on what he has shown in camp, Griffin is going to be active on an NFL roster this season, although it would come with a certain degree of caution, because of his injury history. Jackson still has a ways to go when it comes to accuracy; he completed only seven of 18 passes against the Rams. Flacco, who started the game, was 5-for-7 for 71 yards. While Jacksonville's Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey praised Jackson in an interview with GQ, he asserted that Flacco "sucks." The Ravens brutalized Los Angeles, outgaining them by a 403-170 margin, although it's worth noting that Rams coach Sean McVay held all but two starts out of the game entirely. The Ravens are priced at +300 to win the AFC North and +2800 to win Super Bowl 53.
ABOUT THE COLTS: The situation with Andrew Luck is very encouraging for the Colts' staff. He came in and assumed control of the offense, in hostile territory, and against a team (the Seattle Seahawks) that has been known to try hard in pre-season games. He was in there for two series, completing six of nine passes for 64 yards. He was even able to take a sack and get back up with no effect. Reich has indicated that he will play more in Monday night's game. In camp sessions, he is completing around 70%. Reich and his offensive coordinator, Nick Sirianni, are adamant that this offense is not going to be of the dink-and-dunk variety but will get down the field, which is the way Luck wants it. Left tackle Anthony Castonzo has been dealing with a hamstring issue that kept him out of Thursday's practice, but we're not sure how much, if any, that is going to limit his time on the field Monday. The last thing Reich wants is for Luck to suffer from lack of protection. All told, Indy QB's were 20 of 29 for 189 yards against the Seahawks. That included Phillip Walker, Jacoby Brissett (last year's starter) and second-year man Brad Kaaya. Safeties Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker, regulars on the Colts' defense, are coming off knee injuries, and as they returned to the practice field, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus says he "re-set the whole defense and started from first day install and re-did all the walk-throughs again just for those guys." The Colts are +500 to win the very competitive AFC South and +5500 to capture the Super Bowl title.
EXTRA POINTS
1. These teams will know each other a lot better by game time because they have scheduled joint practices on both Friday and Saturday.
2. Don't be surprised if Luck is working in an offense that tries to speed up the tempo a little on Monday. He looked especially impressive when the offense was doing that in drills on Tuesday, and don't forget that Reich, as a quarterback, was part of the original "no-huddle" approach that was used in the Super Bowl years with the Buffalo Bills.
3. Harbaugh's record in pre-season games is worth reviewing here because it is so outstanding. After two wins, he is now 30-12 straight-up and 28-14 ATS (68%).
PREDICTION: Ravens 24, Colts 19
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MNF - Ravens at Colts
August 20, 2018
By Tony Mejia
Baltimore (-1.5/43) at Indianapolis, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN: Since they participated in the Hall of Fame game, the Ravens are in a situation where they’re playing their third preseason game but would have otherwise had their traditional dress rehearsal game on Saturay at Miami. If nothing else, it gave John Harbaugh options regarding his approach to this one. Harbaugh has called this his team’s best camp ever “in terms of guys focused on improving every day and becoming one percent better at what they do from one day to the next.”
Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson entered the preseason seemingly placed against one another due to reports of a snub and the perception that Flacco was threatened by the rookie’s presence. If that’s been the case, it’s served to light a fire under the veteran, who looked great leading the Ravens down the field in his first drive against the Rams on Aug. 9 and has put together some excellent practices. Jackson has shown flashes of brilliance, so it will be fun to see both take snaps against defenses they’ve been working against. The Colts have first-year coordinators on both sides of the ball working under first-year head coach Frank Reich, so they’ll want to be competitive here and against San Francisco on Saturday night.
Despite the new leadership, the return of a familiar face has been the central focus for the 2018 Colts since Andrew Luck has been able to throw the ball without pain once again and is on track to restore hope by opening the regular season under center. Luck led Indianapolis down the field against Seattle in his first action, converting on a 4th-and-1, taking his first live-action hits and leading the offense to a pair of field goals in finishing 6-for-9 for 66 yards.
Luck isn’t running away from the fact that his downfield passing is not where it needs to be or that he’s more comfortable firing away on short throws, but he’s progressing and will look to take another step forward here.
Indianapolis defeated the Seahawks 19-17 at CenturyLink Field, scoring their only touchdown on a two-play drive led by third-stringer Phillip Walker. With Brad Kaaya on the roster, the Colts have four quarterbacks but have thus far resisted every temptation to trade backup Jacoby Brissett, which can be considered proof that the team isn’t necessarily sold that Luck can survive the entire season or that either Walker or Kaaya can be quality backups, which makes this a huge week for everyone. Owner Jim Irsay has called Brissett the NFL’s top backup and a Boston Globe report that Seattle was rebuffed despite offering a second-round pick in return for his services would indicate he’s going nowhere, so both teams will have guys who can really test a defense at the controls for at least the opening half.
Robert Griffin III can be added to that mix as well since the Ravens’ reclamation project has played well, completing 12-of-18 passes and throwing two touchdowns and an interception that wasn’t his fault.
For veteran roster hopefuls like RB Kenneth Dixon and WR Breshad Perriman, Baltimore’s ability to move the ball effectively will give them a fair shot to try and stick around despite a crowded competition at the skill positions. Josh Woodrum, who was on the team’s practice squad last season and is well-versed in the system, would wrap up if Harbaugh opts to play four quarterbacks.
The Colts saw Frank Gore leave for Miami, so they’ve got quite the competition going to ensure they have viable replacements in place. Marlon Mack is the heir apparent after appearing in 14 games as a result last season, while former Seahawks Robert Turbin and Christine Michael are also on board in addition to fourth-round pick Nyheim Hines (NC State) and Jordan Wilkins (Ole Miss) and veterans Tion Green, Branden Oliver and holdover Josh Ferguson.
With Buck Allen and Alex Collins healthy and back in the mix at running back, Baltimore has Dixon attempting to fight off undrafted free agent Gus Edwards, who has led the team in rushing in each of the first two games. Another undrafted player, receiver Janarion Grant, is making a bid to hang on the roster due to his explosiveness and ability to also perform on special teams.
A final Saturday joint workout with the Colts that featured a couple of fights which could make the atmosphere for this one spicy, especially given that the time to impress is dwindling. Week 2 of the preseason saw more questionable calls change games and penalties looking to crack down on lowering their helmet to initiate contact whistled often, but some of the games have been unwatchable due to stoppages on every play. We'll see how Reich, a University of Maryland alum, fares against Baltimore in his first home game. Harbaugh is 30-12 in exhibition games, sporting the second-highest winning percentage among head coaches with at least one season of experience behind only Minnesota's Mike Zimmer.
The Colts opened as a 1.5-point favorite but has seen that number flip to favor the visiting Ravens. If you're betting Baltimore, a money line option (-120) may be the way to go as a result. The total moved from 41 to 43.