Dolphins vs. Ravens Prediction
Will the Ravens cover as a small home favorite tonight when they host the Dolphins at 8:25PM ET?
Who Oddsmakers Like: Baltimore. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Ravens are 3-point home favorites to beat the Dolphins tonight at home. As for the total, the number hit the board at 37.5 and that’s where it currently sits at the majority of online sports books. In fact, neither the spread nor the total have moved off the original numbers.
Who the Public Likes: Miami. As of this writing, 58% of public bettors are backing the Dolphins, which makes sense. While Miami has won three-straight games, the banged-up Ravens have lost in back-to-back weeks versus the Bears and Vikings. Baltimore failed to cover in both games as well.
Who the Trends Like: Baltimore. The Dolphins are 0-7 against the spread in their last seven games versus the Dolphins but the other trends actually favor Miami. For instance, the road team is 5-2 against the spread in the last seven meetings between these two teams while the underdog is 7-3 against the number in the last 10 meetings.
Who We Like: Miami. Outside of being at home, there’s no reason to like the Ravens in this matchup. I’m not buying Miami as a contender but its defense has been stout against the run and its front four is getting after the quarterback. Both Jeremy Maclin and Mike Wallace are banged-up for the Ravens, who have had zero success offensively for much of the year. They rank 31st in total yards per game, dead last in passing, 12th in rushing and are averaging 18.6 points per game, which ranks 23rd.
This matchup also features strength-on-weakness, as the Dolphins should be able to run the ball consistently against a Ravens run defense that ranks dead last while allowing 145.3 yards per game. Jay Ajayi should have a field day running against that front seven in Baltimore. Plus, even though Jay Cutler is out, don’t view Matt Moore is a downgrade. After shaking off the rust in his first couple of series last week, he started to carve up the Jets in Miami’s come-from-behind victory. I love the Dolphins tonight.
NFL WEEK 8 PREDICTIONS: MIAMI DOLPHINS +3