Buccaneers Ravens Betting – Young Bucs Take It To Baltimore Veterans
If online betting players had to compare the emerging Tampa Bay Buccaneers to anyone in the league, it would probably be the Baltimore Ravens, and the Bucs will get a chance to see how they stack up against their veteran counterparts when they travel to Baltimore on Sunday. The Bucs are still learning how to win, and they may not come out on top, but they’ll do well enough to take with the points.
- What: NFL betting
- When: Sunday, November 28th, 4:15 PM ET
- Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
- Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +7.5
What’s On The Line
The Buccaneers (7-3) continued their surprising season with a 21-0 shutout of the San Francisco 49ers on the road, while the Ravens (7-3) rolled to a 37-13 romp at the Carolina Panthers. If someone would have told you that Tampa Bay would have the same record as Baltimore coming into this game, you probably would have given them pretty long odds, but here we are, and both have everything to play for as the race for the postseason really starts this week.
Offensive Matchups: Buccaneers Ravens Betting
Tampa Bay doesn’t put up big numbers, but they’re efficient as they proved in San Francisco. They had just 299 yards, but Josh Freeman was 13-of-20 for 136 yards and two touchdowns, and the Bucs reached the end zone on all three of their red-zone opportunities. They were also 7-of-14 on third down, which allowed them to hold onto the ball for over 36 minutes. LaGarrette Blount has sparked the ground game, and they ran for 162 yards against the 49ers. The Bucs have a lot of young players, but they play with the poise of veterans, and they rarely turn the ball over.
The Ravens have the pieces to have an explosive offense, and they rank 12th in the league, 11 spots ahead of Tampa Bay. Joe Flacco passed for 301 yards and a touchdown, but the Ravens were just 2-of-11 on third down, and they were just 1-of-4 in the red zone. The ground game is 13th in the league, but Ray Rice hasn’t hit another gear like we thought he would, although he’s still great in the passing game, catching six passes for 66 yards against the Panthers. The Ravens get the edge here, but the difference isn’t as big as the numbers and rankings would suggest.
Betting Edge: Ravens
Defensive Matchups: Buccaneers Ravens Betting
The Bucs had probably their best game of the season defensively in blanking the 49ers, holding them to 189 yards, including 71 on the ground, and they didn’t even let them get into the red zone. Safety Cody Grimm led the way with seven tackles, and the Bucs had six sacks as a team. Rookie Gerald McCoy broke through with his first career sack, and the young defensive tackle continues to improve, although he needs to be more consistent. Tampa Bay is a physical defense that likes to force turnovers; two more against the 49ers gives them 21 takeaways on the year, but they are 29th in the league against the run.
The names stay the same, but Baltimore’s defense is still one of the best in the NFL. End Haloti Ngata has been a force up front, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs are still one of the best linebacking duos in the league, and safety Ed Reed is healthy again and picking off passes. Lewis ran a pick back for a score against the Panthers, and Reed had a pick that he pitched to Dawan Landry for a touchdown. Having a healthy Reed back makes all the difference in the world for the Bucs, because when he is 100%, no one plays a better center-fielder, which prevents teams from looking deep.
Betting Edge: Ravens
Notable Injuries: Buccaneers Ravens Betting
Defensive end Kyle Moore (shoulder) is out, while tight end Kellen Winslow (knee) is questionable for the Bucs.
Safety Tom Zbikowski (foot) practiced for the first time in five weeks, but is still questionable for the Ravens, as is guard Chris Chester (illness) and end Cory Redding (arm).
Betting Edge: Buccaneers
Outlook and Pick: Buccaneers Ravens Betting
The Ravens are a 7.5-point NFL betting favorite in this matchup, and Tampa Bay has made just one trip to Baltimore, routing the Ravens 25-0 back in 2002. That won’t happen again, but we are picking the Buccaneers to cover this week as they’re brilliant when the odds are against them, going 5-0 ATS away from home, and they’re 5-2 as an ATS underdog. The Ravens have had problems against the run lately, and Blount has been nothing short of amazing in recent weeks. This Tampa Bay team has yet to beat a team with a winning record this season, but they’re getting closer and they’re going to make the Ravens sweat. Take them against the sports betting spread, and they could even pull out an upset.
Stan’s Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
