Get a $500 Bonus on a $500 Deposit at BetUS!

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins NFL Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

ravens-dolphins

The Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins didn’t even come close to making the playoffs a season ago, but each team has made a drastic turnaround, finishing with 11-5 records this season. They will now meet in an AFC Wild Card game on Sunday January 4th. The NFL odds makers have listed the Baltimore Ravens as 3.5-point favorites with the total set at 38.

The Ravens are making a postseason trip for the second time in three seasons, but this season’s run is quite a feat considering that Baltimore was only 5-11 in 2007. Miami’s turnaround is even more impressive. A year after going 1-15, Miami won the AFC East for its first division title since 2000. Miami began the 2007 season 0-13 before beating Baltimore 22-16 to record its first and only win of 2007. Miami is just the second team in NFL history to have a 10-win turnaround. The Phins used a five-game winning streak to get to the postseason and will look to take care of the Ravens once again.

Miami’s unlikely rise is perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Bill Parcells career. He and head coach Tony Sparano did not panic when the team lost four of its first six games. Baltimore handed the Dolphins one of those early season losses, a 27-13 defeat back on October 19th, but things started looking up following that game.

QB Chad Pennington, a New York Jets cast off, deserves a good portion of the credit for Miami’s remarkable season. He was named the AP’s 2008 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. It was the second time in three years he’s received the award. Pennington, who was 1-7 as a starter for the Jets in 2007, threw 19 touchdowns and finished with a career-high 3,653 yards. Pennington helped the Jets reach the postseason in 2002, 2004, and 2006 and is 2-3 as a starter in the playoffs. He will try to bring home Miami’s first playoff win in a long time. The Dolphins have lost their last two playoff games, most recently to the Ravens in 2002, when they also went 11-5 during the regular season. If you like Miami’s great story to continue, bet the Dolphins at +3.5 at Bookmaker and receive a 20% cash bonus.

The Baltimore Ravens won five of their last six games and clinched a postseason berth with a 27-7 win over the Jacksonville Jags last Sunday. Like Miami, the QB position has been a big reason for Baltimore’s turnaround. Rookie Joe Flacco was the 18th overall pick in the 2008 draft. Out of the relatively unknown University of Delaware, the Ravens drafted the towering signal caller on potential more than proven production. He was expected to be Kyle Boller’s backup until Boller found out he would miss the season with a shoulder injury. Flacco performed more like a veteran than a rookie, completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,971 yards and 14 TDs with 12 interceptions. The playoff pressure will likely be a major hurdle for the rookie to overcome, but fortunately the Ravens have a top notch defense to fall back on. Baltimore was second in yards allowed with 277.1 and third in scoring defense allowing 15.3 ppg.

The Ravens will have to play all of their postseason games on the road as the No. 6 seed, but they can take comfort in the fact that they have won five of their last six road contests, outscoring opponents by 12 pg during that stretch. But Baltimore has lost its last three playoff games since winning at Miami in the 2002 Wild Card contest. Bet the Ravens at -3.5 at Bookmaker.

Jimmy Boyd’s NFL picks have been on fire down the home stretch. Do your NFL betting with Jimmy and bring down the house Wild Card weekend.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in: