Baltimore Ravens at Green Bay Packers NFL Spreads & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd on December 4, 2009

The 6-5 Baltimore Ravens meet the 7-4 Green Bay Packers in Week 13 on ESPN’s Monday Night Football in a matchup that has major playoff implications. Last week, the Ravens held off the Steelers 20-17 in overtime while the Packers crushed the Lions 34-12 on Thanksgiving day. These two teams have not met since the 2005 season and that meeting was one to forget for Green Bay, which fell 48-3. The Packers have won the only two other meetings in the series. NFL odds makers have listed the Green Bay Packers as 3-point favorites with the total set at 43.

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The big question this week is if the Ravens can win two in a row, which is something they haven’t done since Weeks 2 and 3. Will the Ravens get a boost of momentum after a big win over the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers or will they endure a letdown? At this point, the Ravens cannot afford the latter as they would be on the outside looking in if the playoffs were to start today. If the Ravens can find a way to get past the Packers, they put themselves in good position with games against the Lions, Bears, and Raiders in three of the last four weeks.

The defense just might be coming alive at the right time to help Baltimore on a little run. The Ravens defense got off to a bit of a slow start, but the unit has looked as ferocious as ever lately, allowing only 11.6 points per game in the month of November.

Offensively, I say keep feeding running back Ray Rice. Rice is quickly becoming one of the best all-around backs in the league. In fact, he has at least 100 yards from scrimmage in eight straight games. Now that’s getting it done. It is worth noting that Baltimore is 20-10 ATS in all games since the beginning of last season. If you think Baltimore can finally put together consecutive wins, bet the Ravens at +3 at Bodog.

If the playoffs started today, Green Bay would be in via the wild card. Green Bay enters this contest having won three in a row and QB Aaron Rodgers has had an awful lot to do with the team’s recent run. Rodgers has thrown six touchdown strikes and no interceptions during the winning streak. And it will be hard to bet against him at home this week when you consider that he has a passer rating of 102.6 in 14 career starts at Lambeau.

It also can’t go unmentioned that Green Bay has had an extra three days to prepare for this one having played on Thursday last week. That extra time to heal up and stay fresh at this stage in the season can be a major asset.

Also, Green Bay finally appears to be settling in to its 3-4 defense. The Packers have held four straight opponents to 81 yards or less on the ground. If Green Bay is able to keep Ray Rice and company under the 81-yard mark, I have to think it wins this football game. It is worth noting that the Packers are on an 11-1 ATS run in home games versus good teams outscoring their opponents by 6 or more points per game in the second half of the season. If you like Green Bay to take care of business at home Monday, bet the Packers at -3 at Bodog.

Jimmy Boyd cashed in the big with the Saints on the Monday Night Football stage last week. Join him again this Monday for more winning football picks on the pro gridiron!

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