Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens Odds
The 2-2 Denver Broncos are all set to do battle with the 3-1 Baltimore Ravens Sunday in a Week 5 AFC non-division showdown. Last week, the Broncos upset Tennessee behind yet another big day from quarterback Kyle Orton. But the bigger story may have been that Denver held All-Pro running back Chris Johnson to just 53 yards rushing. Meanwhile, the Ravens stunned previously undefeated Pittsburgh, scoring the go ahead touchdown with just 34 seconds remaining on a Joe Flacco touchdown strike.
The Broncos and the Ravens met in Baltimore last season, and the result was a 30-7 Baltimore win. With that victory, the Baltimore Ravens franchise improved to 4-0 straight up and against the spread at home in this series. NFL odds makers expert Baltimore to have Denver’s number again Sunday, listing the Ravens as a 7-point favorite with the total set at 38.5.
This matchup pits Baltimore’s suffocating pass defense against the NFL’s No. 1 ranked passing offense. The Ravens lead the NFL by allowing only 119.0 passing yards per game. Led by Orton, the Broncos’ lead the league with 339.5 passing yards per contest. With this in mind, the running game could decide the winner.
Baltimore has been susceptible to the run, allowing 116.8 yards per game on the ground (21st in the NFL) on 4.3 yards per carry. Denver has the NFL’s worst rushing attack, averaging just 55.0 yards per game on the ground. However, it may be compelled to try the run a little more Sunday, considering how vulnerable Baltimore has been to it.
The Broncos would love to have Knowshon Moreno back as Laurence Maroney hasn’t provided the lift that they had hoped for. Moreno is currently listed as questionable for this week’s contest.
Conversely, Baltimore will likely have to win this game through the air. The Ravens haven’t had much success running the football, and the Broncos have been pretty solid against the run. As I already mentioned, they held Chris Johnson in check last week, and they held Indianapolis to just 40 rushing yards the week before.
Taking to the air will be just fine with Flacco, who is enjoying the best wide receiver corps he has had to work with. T.J. Houshmandzadeh came up big with the game winning touchdown reception last week, and Boldin has quickly become Flacco’s favorite target. Both the Browns and Steelers had their hands full with Boldin the last two weeks when he caught 15 catches for 210 yards and three touchdowns..
The Ravens could also benefit from a key injury. Denver’s Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey could miss Sunday’s game with a leg injury.
While Baltimore is 3-1, it hasn’t won any game by more than seven points. With this in mind, it may be wise to take the seven points odds makers are spotting Denver, especially since the Broncos 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games following a win.
However, Baltimore’s dominance over Denver cannot be overlooked. Not only have the Ravens won all four career meetings at home in this series, they have won those games by an average of 18.0 points. It may also be hard to ignore the fact that Baltimore is 5-2 against the spread in its last 7 games as a home favorite of 3.5-10.0 points.
Jimmy Boyd went a perfect 6-0 in Week 4 NFL action. Don’t make a single move in Week 5 before you see who Jimmy is playing first!
