The Baltimore Ravens (-8) are gearing up to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at M&T Bank Stadium. This early afternoon matchup is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET and FOX has the TV rights.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Baltimore Ravens Betting Preview
Tampa Bay is a live dog and is currently getting 8 points in this game. The Buccaneers are also receiving +260 moneyline odds while the Ravens are -330. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 47 points, and if one side can get out in front early, it will probably result in a worthwhile in-game betting scenario.
The game’s total has moved down after opening at 47.5. The original spread of -8 has not shifted.
The Buccaneers have lost 0.8 units so far in 2018 and are 5-7-1 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 8-5. The Ravens have lost 0.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 7-6 ATS and have an O/U record of 6-7.
The Buccaneers are 5-8 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Ravens are 7-6 SU.
The Bucs fell to New Orleans 28-14 in a Week 14 matchup where their defense allowed the Saints to eat up the clock by rushing for 100 yards on 30 attempts, including two rush TDs. Michael Thomas had a productive day for the opposition in that one with 98 yards on 11 catches. On the offense, Jameis Winston completed just 18-of-38 passes for 213 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Peyton Barber (42 yards on 14 rush attempts) spearheaded the ground attack in the loss. Adam Humphries (four receptions, 42 yards) and Mike Evans (four catches, 86 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Back in Week 14, Kansas City took care of this Baltimore crew by a score of 27-24. The Ravens defensive secondary allowed the Chiefs to air it out for 377 yards and two touchdowns. Tyreek Hill put up a solid outing, recording 139 yards on eight catches for Kansas City. For Baltimore, Lamar Jackson completed 13-of-24 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Gus Edwards (67 rushing yards on 16 attempts) and the signal-caller Jackson (71 yards on 13 carries) mounted the ground attack in the defeat as Willie Snead IV (five receptions, 61 yards) and Michael Crabtree (three catches, 31 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
Tampa Bay’s run the ball on 38.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Baltimore has a rush percentage of 46.0 percent. The Buccaneers have produced 99 rush yards/game and have nine scores via handoffs this year. The Ravens are totaling 134 rushing yards per game and have 16 total rush TDs.
It seems like the Ravens should have the edge in all aspects of the ground game. Their running backs has logged 4.2 yards per carry while their defense has allowed a YPC of 3.8 to opponents. The Buccaneers have registered 4.0 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 4.8 to opponents.
The Bucs offense has tallied a ridiculous 348 yards per game in the air overall and has 31 passing scores so far. The Ravens have produced 246 pass yards per outing and have 16 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Tampa Bay has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 119 yards and pass for 285 yards per game. The Baltimore defense has allowed 225.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 87.8 yards per game on the ground. The Ravens are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.42 to opponents, while the Buccaneers have given up a 7.81 ANY/A.
Offensively, Winston is up to 1,905 passing yards this season. He’s completed 65 percent of his 240 attempts with 12 scores through the air and 12 interceptions. He’s got a 5.81 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.64 over the last two games.
Expect Winston to attack all areas of the Baltimore secondary. Mike Evans (587 receiving yards and five touchdowns), Chris Godwin (588 yards, four TDs) and Adam Humphries (587 yards, four TDs) have all been heavily involved recently, seeing 12, 16 and 17 targets respectively over the last two games.
Lamar Jackson has completed 47-of-80 passes for 562 yards, four TDs and three INTs for Baltimore. His ANY/A stands at 5.19 for the season and 5.60 over his past two games.
We’re expecting the Ravens to control tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. Along with Lamar Jackson (zero receiving yards), Gus Edwards (364 rush yards, one rush TD) and Kenneth Dixon (103 rush yards, two rush TDs) have been focal points in the Baltimore offense.
RELATED: Week 15 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
Free NFL Pick: Buccaneers at Ravens
SU Winner – Ravens, ATS Winner – Ravens, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Buccaneers offense has tallied 13 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Ravens have put up five such plays.
The Tampa Bay defense has allowed five pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Baltimore has given up three such plays.
The Tampa Bay offense has created five rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Baltimore has created four such runs.
The Buccaneers defense has allowed 13 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Ravens have given up six such runs.
The Baltimore defensive unit has created 38 sacks on the year while Tampa Bay has 34.
As a team, Tampa Bay has averaged 3.9 yards per carry across its last three outings and 4.2 over its last two.
Baltimore has averaged 4.9 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.6 over its last two.
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