A team that has made some major changes and a Super Bowl contender will meet in Week 2 of the NFL preseason, as the Carolina Panthers will square off against the Baltimore Ravens. These two will meet on Friday night at Bank of America Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Both teams are coming off of victories in Week 1. Carolina dominated Detroit 20-0, while the Ravens slipped past the Saints by a score of 17-14. It’s time to take a look at both teams so you can get all set to bet against their NFL Preseason odds.
NFL Betting Preview for Baltimore Ravens vs Carolina Panthers
All Eyes on the QB’s
Matt Rhule surprised everyone and didn’t play Sam Darnold in the Panthers’ first preseason game. We’re assuming that Darnold will see significant playing time this week. Darnold will want to make a good impression, as PJ Walker played well against the Lions last week. The former XFL player went 10-21 for 161 yards and a touchdown last week. Walker is very athletic, and any time that he sees the field, he seems to make things happen. If Darnold doesn’t play well, Rhule could maybe make the switch during the regular season.
We’re not sure if we’ll see Lamar Jackson under center for the Ravens in this one. Jackson didn’t play in Week 1. Baltimore’s offensive line has had some injury issues, and they struggled last week. Backup Trace McSorley took a majority of the snaps, but was injured, and will miss significant time. If we do see Jackson, we’re not sure how much time he’ll see.
Will Baltimore Ever Find a Passing Game?
With or without Jackson, Baltimore has struggled to find a passing game over the last few seasons. Sammy Watkins and Marquise Brown are the Ravens’ top two wideouts heading into the season. Top draft pick Rashod Bateman figured to see a lot of touches, but he was injured and now won’t play until Week 1 of the regular season. Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews has been one of the top pass-catching tight ends over the last few seasons, so he’ll be looked upon to catch a lot of balls again this season.
Last week, the Ravens’ leading receiver was backup running back Ty’Son Williams. If Baltimore wants to get to the next level, they’ll need more production out of the wide receiver position.
Who Will Win & Why
The oddsmakers think that the Ravens will win this one, as they are favored by 3.5 points. Baltimore is the king of preseason football in recent times, as they’ve won 18 straight pre season games. We’ll see if they can continue this streak on Friday. If Lamar Jackson doesn’t see significant playing time, the winning streak could be in jeopardy.
Carolina will give us a steady diet of Sam Darnold. Darnold wants to get off to a good start, and he should be up against a very solid Baltimore defense. Darnold needs to get in rhythm with the starting offense, and if he does, that will be a great sign for Matt Rhule and the Panthers.
We’re going to go out on a limb and pick the Panthers to end the Ravens streak. It will be a tight one, but the Panthers will come into Baltimore and walk away with a victory.
NFL Betting News
Odds and Lines: NFL odds | Super Bowl | Playoffs | AFC | NFC
