Ravens vs. Broncos Odds
DENVER, CO (The Spread) – The NFL Season kicks off Thursday night when the Denver Broncos host the Baltimore Ravens at 8:30PM ET on NBC.
Baltimore is coming off a Super Bowl victory. The Ravens were 10-6 during the regular season and 6-9-1 against the spread while hitting the over 8 times. Denver went 13-3 in the regular season while going 11-5 against the spread and hitting the over 10 times.
Trends show that the Ravens have covered the spread in 8 of their last 11 meetings with Denver but the favorite has covered in 4 of the last 5 meetings between these two teams.
According to oddsmakers from Bovada.lv, Denver is the favorite at home in this opener, as the Broncos have odds of -7.5 points against Baltimore. The over/under total for the game has been set at 48.5 points (View Matchup). The opening odds for this game had Denver favored by 9 points. The spread actually climbed to a peak of 10.5 points leading up to the game before making its way back to 7.5. The over/under total opened at 49.5 points, but has made a steady decline, now settling in at 48.5.
Denver had the second-highest scoring offense in the NFL last season, averaging just over 30 points per game. This year’s offense should do much of the same, as it is again led by quarterback Peyton Manning, who threw for 4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns last year. Manning added Wes Welker from the Patriots to his offense and the Broncos drafted rookie running back Montee Ball to make the unit even more powerful. Denver’s question will be on defense. As a team, the Broncos allowed just 18.1 points and 290.8 yards per game while leading the NFL in sacks with 52 last year. This year’s unit is already battling some adversity, as linebacker Von Miller is suspended for the first six games of the season.
Baltimore has always been known for its defense, but the defending Super Bowl champs lost a number of key pieces from that group, led by Ray Lewis, who retired. Not to be left out, Baltimore’s offense also lost a key piece in receiver Anquan Boldin. Add to that tight end Dennis Pitta will miss the season due to injury, and you can see why there are concerns. What Baltimore does have is quarterback Joe Flacco, who threw for 3,817 yards and 22 touchdowns a year ago. Also back is Ray Rice, a do-everything back that can run and catch.
In terms of Injuries, Baltimore tight end Ed Dickson is questionable due to a hamstring injury while defensive end Arthur Jones is out due to an illness. Denver cornerback Champ Bailey is out with a foot injury while defensive end Derek Wolfe is questionable with a neck injury.
The Public Bets for this game are currently backing Baltimore, as the Ravens are getting 55% of the wagers with a point spread of +7.5 at Denver tonight.
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