Lions vs. Ravens Pick
Will the Detroit Lions be able to find the offense to put up a high total against the Baltimore Ravens when the two meet Sunday at 1PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Baltimore is the slight favorite at home on Sunday, as the Ravens are getting odds of -3 points against the Lions. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 43.5 points. Baltimore has won three of four meetings with the Lions and the two have split the over/under total in those four encounters. The public betting in this game has 67 percent going on the Lions on the road. Sunday’s game takes place from M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland and will air live on FOX.
The Lions are coming off a 30-23 loss to the Vikings on Thanksgiving to snap a three-game win streak and fall to 6-5 on the season. The Lions have hit the over in four straight games and are 8-3 with the over on the year. Detroit has been struggling defense as of late, allowing 24 points and 372.6 yards per game on the season. Offensively, the Lions put up 26.7 points and 351.9 yards per game. Their run game has struggled, with Ameer Abdullah rushing for 505 yards and three scores to lead the team. He may be out this week with a neck injury. Matthew Stafford has thrown for 3,010 yards and 21 touchdowns with six interceptions. He has been sacked 36 times and is dealing with an ankle injury that could limit his mobility for this game. Marvin Jones Jr. is the leading receiver with 44 receptions for 731 yards and eight scores.
Baltimore is coming off a 23-16 win over Houston at home last week to improve to 6-5 on the season. The Ravens are 6-5 with the over this season, but have hit the under in their last two games. Baltimore is led by its stingy defense, as it is allowing just 17 points and 324.5 yards per game. Terrell Suggs is leading the unit with 9.5 sacks. Offensively, Baltimore is putting up just 21.5 points and 295.8 yards per game. Their pass defense ranks among the worst in the league at 179 yards per game. Joe Flacco has thrown for 1,875 yards with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Alex Collins has run for a team-high 630 yards and two scores.
The Lions have been starting very slow in games lately and I expect the slow start to continue on offense against this Baltimore defense. However, I don’t think the Ravens can start terribly fast on offense. They just haven’t shown a consistency to move the ball behind Flacco this year. Detroit has been its strongest when it creates turnovers and the Ravens certainly are turnover prone. I expect this to be an ugly football game with both offenses struggling to produce scoring drives.
NFL WEEK 13 PREDICTION: LIONS/RAVENS UNDER 43.5