Cardinals Ravens Betting – Baltimore Takes Out Frustrations On Lowly Cardinals
Sports betting players couldn’t have been more surprised to see Baltimore fall in the Monday night game against Jacksonville, and you can bet that it’ll be a tough week of practice for the Ravens. This doesn’t bode well for Arizona, who haven’t won yet on the road and it won’t happen this week.
What: NFL Betting
When: Sunday, October 30th, 1:00 PM ET
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Pick: Baltimore Ravens (-13)
Why Bet On Arizona Cardinals (1-5 SU, 2-4 ATS)
The Cardinals fell 32-20 to Pittsburgh at home, and Kevin Kolb had another inconsistent game as he was 18-of-34 for 272 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he also threw a pick and received a grounding penalty in the end zone, which is a safety. Kolb is still struggling to get used to the system in Arizona and he missed some open throws, which has to be worrying to Arizona fans and especially Larry Fitzgerald, who was targeted 10 times, but caught only four passes for 78 yards. It also doesn’t help that “Beanie” Wells has a knee that isn’t 100%, and he ran for 42 yards on 12 carries on Sunday. The Cardinals did manage to score on both of their trips to the red zone, so that’s encouraging. Defensively, Arizona allowed 445 yards and they handed the Steelers four first downs because of penalties (Arizona received three first downs on the other end in what was a sloppy game).
Wells (knee) should consider sitting out this week as he is no good for Arizona’s NFL betting odds at less than 100%, meaning Alfonso Smith would get the start in the backfield. Wells had surgery on this knee last year, but at least there is no ligament damage. If the Cardinals can’t run against Baltimore, the Ravens will be able to blitz Kolb at their leisure and Arizona has allowed 18 sacks this season. Not to mention, the Ravens will be angry after last week’s loss. Kolb will be in for a tough game this week.
Why Bet On Baltimore Ravens (4-2 SU, 4-2 ATS)
Baltimore was on the wrong end of the week’s big NFL betting upset as they fell 12-7 on Monday night in Jacksonville, but it wasn’t the fault of the defense, which is ranked No.1 in the league. They held the Jaguars to 205 yards, although they did allow 132 yards on the ground and they racked up four sacks as well. The problem was the offense as Joe Flacco was 21-of-38 for 137 yards, a touchdown and a pick, Ray Rice ran for just 28 yards and the Ravens converted just two of their 12 third-down chances. Flacco couldn’t get going, which allowed the Jaguars to key on Rice and if you take out the shifty running back, you take away Baltimore’s most dangerous weapon. You have to give the Jaguars credit as they had a gameplan, they stuck to it and they met every physical challenge that the Ravens made, but this was more of an issue for Baltimore.
The line struggled to protect Flacco, which caused him to be wild with the ball, but he has been like that for the season and the Ravens need him to shake out of his slumber. There wasn’t nearly enough touches for Rice, who fumbled early and was taken out of his rhythm, but it’s on Baltimore’s coaching staff to get him involved. The Ravens committed 10 penalties, giving the Jaguars two first downs and one of those came when Brendon Ayanbadejo was ejected for a personal foul as Baltimore lost their cool on more than a few occasions. As for injuries, safety Ed Reed had to get his shoulder popped back in, but he returned. Still, watch the injury report later this week.
How It Will Play Out
NFL betting odds will favor the Ravens at home, where they have met the Cardinals just twice since 1997, posting records of 1-1 SU and 0-2 ATS with one of the games going under the posted total. The Ravens are 3-0 ATS at home this season, while Arizona is 1-2 ATS away from home.
The Cardinals had their issues with Pittsburgh, but Baltimore is probably the better defense at this point in time and Arizona will have a tough time slowing down their pass rush, especially if they don’t have Wells. Look for Fitzgerald to earn a lot of attention, but Kolb will be fortunate to be able to find anyone. The Baltimore offense should bounce back and in particular, look for Rice and Anquan Boldin, a former Cardinal, to have big games, but it starts and ends with Flacco. Go with the Baltimore Ravens to cover their online betting spread.
Cardinals Ravens Betting Pick: Baltimore Ravens
