The Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Ravens will both aim to go 2-0 in the first two weeks of the preseason when they lock horns at the M&T Bank Stadium this coming Thursday. The Packers are +2000 to win Super Bowl 54, while the Ravens are +1800 to have a Vince Lombardi Trophy parade in 2020.
Matt LaFleur’s head coaching debut for the Packers was as success, guiding Green Bay to a 28-26 home win over the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field. The Packers leaned on their passing game to carry them to a victory. Quarterback DeShone Kizer somehow managed to commit any errors, going 8 of 13 for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Tim Boyle had 40 passing yards and a couple of touchdowns on 4-for-5 completions. The Ravens’ stout pass defense may force the Packers to hand the ball more to their backfield. Against the Texans, Dexter Williams rushed for 62 yards on 14 carries, while Tra Carson rished for 15 yards on eight attempts. The Packers don’t have any urgent reason to play Aaron Rodgers in these exhibition games, so look forward to seeing Kizer, Boyle, and rookie Manny Wilkins sharing the quarterbacking duties going forward in the preseason.
The under is 8-2 in the Packers’ last 10 preseason road games.
Betting on Baltimore Ravens (1-0 Preseason)
The Ravens showed no mercy on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 of the preseason. Relying on their unforgiving defense and aggressive backfield, the Ravens bludgeoned the Jags on their way to a 29-0 victory. Lamar Jackson made a quick appearance and flashed his arm more than his legs in throwing for 59 yards and a touchdown on 4-for-6 completions. The Ravens could opt to sit Jackson going forward in the preseason, and if that becomes the case, rookie quarterback and former Notre Dame Fighting Irish Trace McSorely will have a bigger load. McSorely had 85 passing yards and an interception on 9-for-22 completions. Baltimore’s defense also had four interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown by cornerback Cyrus Jones. Kizer, another Notre Dame product, has been known for his carelessness since joining the NFL, and he could be a sitting duck for Baltimore’s relentless stop unit.
The Ravens are 3-0 against the spread (ATS) in their last three preseason games.
