Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders Preview and Pick

NFL Football Betting Preview
Baltimore Ravens (8-7) at Oakland Raiders (5-10)
Sunday January 3rd, 4:15PM Eastern

Betus.com betting line – Baltimore -10.5, 38.5 O/U

The Baltimore Ravens fell just short of knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2nd time this season last week in a 23-20 loss. The Ravens actually rallied back from a 10 point deficit in the 2nd half to nearly score the big win. The loss kept the Ravens from locking up a playoff berth and they face a must win situation this week when they travel to take on the 5-10 Oakland Raiders. The Ravens unlike much of the other teams in the wildcard race control their destiny. A win over the Raiders will guarantee a spot in the playoffs. However, Oakland with just 5 wins has scored a number of upsets this year. The Raiders knocked off the Eagles, Steelers, and Broncos in surprising fashion. If the Raiders could put together another big upset, it will open the door for a host of AFC wildcard teams needing a lot of help to get into the postseason.

After scoring those few impressive wins over Denver and Pittsburgh, the Raiders took a step back last week losing to Cleveland 23-9. The Raiders gave up a ton of yards on the ground allowing Jerome Harrison to rush for 148 yards. However, the offense got a confidence boost behind QB Charlie Frye. Frye in just his 2nd start tossed 3 interceptions in the contest. However, Frye proved he could move the ball down the field racking up an Oakland season high 333 passing yards.

Frye will make his 3rd start this Sunday against the Ravens defense and if he can just turn a few of those interceptions into touchdowns then he could be in for a big performance. If that does indeed happen, look for WR Zach Miller to be a factor. Miller grabbed 9 receptions for 110 yards in his first game back from a concussion last week and he is easily the go to guy in the passing game. Rookie Louis Murphy has also proved at times that he has potential like the 128 yards racked up in the win against the Steelers. Murphy could be needed more if Miller has trouble getting open against the Ravens solid secondary.

Baltimore had some opportunities against the Steelers, but could not capitalize in the passing game last week. WR Derrick Mason had a solid effort catching 7 passes for 77 yards. However, Mason dropped a sure touchdown that I’m sure is still haunting him in last week’s close loss. QB Joe Flacco has played pretty well in recent weeks, but perhaps still not as good as he played earlier in the year. Flacco has thrown just 1 pick in the last 3 games while tossing 7 touchdowns. Still, the offense likely has realized their strength over the last few weeks has been with running back Ray Rice and the ground game. Rice is averaging well over 100 yards per game in the last 3 outings.

Rice dominated last week against one of the best rush defenses in the league racking up 141 yards against the Steelers. It was the first 100 yard game allowed by the Pittsburgh defense all season. In fact, Rice’s 88 yards against the Steelers in their first meeting was the 2nd highest rushing total allowed by the Steelers all year. Rice has taken the work load and strived as a result of the increase in carries. If Baltimore wants to safely lock up a playoff berth, expect Rice to get around 30 carries this Sunday against a Raiders defense that ranks 29th in the NFL allowing 149 yards per game.

Pick – Ravens -10.5