BAL @ CLE: MNF Preview: Is Baker Cooking Up Some Revenge?
Ravens @ Browns (Monday Night Football Preview):
Is Baker Cooking Up Some Revenge?
Monday Night Football treats us all with a tremendous matchup between AFC North Rivals. The Baltimore Ravens (7-5) are coming off a win over the Cowboys, which put an end to a rare losing streak of three straight games. The Ravens are hitting the highway to take on the red-hot Cleveland Browns (9-3), who have won four straight contests.
The Ravens are currently being priced as a 3-point road favorite, and the Total is set at 46 points. What side should you invest in? Let’s take a look at the case for both teams.
The Case for the Ravens: Will Baltimore’s Blues End?
It seems like ages ago, but Baltimore gave a serious whipping to Cleveland way back in week 1 to the tune of 38-6. Ravens’ young phenom quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns but a whole lot has changed since then. As is the case with many teams in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown a proverbial money wrench into Baltimore’s season as well.
The Ravens had a massive Covid-19 outbreak sweep through their team as they have had 22 players that have recently been put on the reserve/Covid-19 list since November 23rd. However, their squad is getting healthier now and below are some reasons why they could cover the small number on Monday Night for their backers:
- Lamar Jackson looked fresh and healthy in his 1st game back against the Cowboys last week. He threw two touchdowns and had a decent QB rating of 107.3
- The Ravens have covered the point spread in 7 out of their last 10 games against Cleveland
- Baltimore is in a “must-win” situation, as a loss could potentially eliminate them from playoff contention.
The Case for the Browns: Why Cleveland May ROCK on Monday Night!
No team is hotter in the National Football League right now than the Cleveland Browns. Browns’ stud QB Baker Mayfield has thrown six touchdowns in his last two outings and has NOT thrown a pick since late October against the Bungals…errrrr I mean the Bengals!
Will Baker keep cooking up touchdowns and wins on Monday Night? Let’s take a look at some reasons why the Browns may cover as the home underdog.
- As we mentioned ad nauseum, the Browns are the much hotter team than the Ravens. They have won four games in a row
- Cleveland ranks much higher than Baltimore in Red Zone efficiency (70% TD rate vs only 55% TD rate for Baltimore).
- The Browns are in full blown revenge mode after that horrific week 1 beatdown, and Baker Mayfield will want to avenge his subpar week 1 performance against the Ravens where he only passed for 189 yards and QB rating was only 68.1
Final Thoughts & Our FREE Play
We have listed three viable reasons why each team has a chance of winning you the cash here on Monday Night!
Our Client Play: UNDER 46 POINTS
Let us know who you like to win and cover in the comments section below!
Article Contributor: Mike Noblin
Twitter: @MikeNoblin - Youtube: Mikey Nobs