Are the Ravens a safe bet in Week 17?

2016 NFL Baltimore at Cleveland Week 2 Odds Analysis

Written by on September 14, 2016

The Baltimore Ravens will look to remain unbeaten while keeping the division rival Cleveland Browns winless when they square off in their AFC North division rivalry on Sunday.

With this contest offering a ton of value, let’s find out which team will cover the NFL betting odds.

Analyzing The 2016 NFL Ravens at Browns Week 2 Odds Analysis



Baltimore -7 at Cleveland

When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 18, 2016
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
TV: CBS
NFL Odds: Cleveland Browns +3.5 / Over/Under: 43.5

Bet The Baltimore Ravens -7 Because…

Baltimore is superior in all three phase of the game. The Baltimore Ravens are coming off a hard-fought 13-7 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 to cover the spread as a 3-point home favorite. Defensively, the Ravens held Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor to just 111 yards on 15-of-22 passing and running back LeSean McCoy to 58 yards and one score on 16 carries.

Baltimore signal-caller Joe Flacco connected with speedy veteran wideout Mike Wallace on a 66-yard bomb that turned out to be the decisive score while super reliable kicker Justin Tucker nailed field goals of 50 and 37 yards.  Flacco went 23-of-34 line for 258 yards and one score while Wallace hauled in three passes for 91 yards and one score.

Bet The Cleveland Browns +7 Because…

This is a division matchup the Browns will go all-out in! The Browns looked absolutely inept in their 29-10 season opening loss against Philadelphia and saw starting quarterback Robert Griffin III go down with a costly injury (again).

Cleveland also allowed Philadelphia prized rookie quarterback Carson Wentz to look like the second coming of Johnny Unitas by passing for 278 yards and two scores in his NFL debut. Before getting injured, Griffin III completed 12-of-26 passes for 190 yards while facing constant pressure from Philly’s front seven.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens weren’t overly impressive in their modest 13-7 Week 1 win over Buffalo as a 3.5-point favorite, but the Cleveland Browns looked almost completely inept in their Week 1 loss to Philadelphia. Cleveland has problems all over the place and likely won’t be able to protect McCown much more than they did RG3 last weekend when the former Baylor star faced constant pressure from Philly’s front seven.

Baltimore has generally been a perennial playoff participant for the better part of the last 15 years and I think they’re going to have extra motivation all season long after their injury-riddled campaign in 2015. While the underdog in this series has gone 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings, the road team in this AFC North divisional series has gone 3-0-1 ATS in their last four meetings while Baltimore has compiled a robust 6-1-1 ATS mark in their last eight meetings in Cleveland. Baltimore wins and covers!

My Pick: Baltimore 28 Cleveland 17