Monday Night Football Preview: Baltimore Ravens vs. Detroit Lions

The Ravens currently own the second AFC wild card ticket but one loss could spell disaster for their playoff hopes. That fate is also something that the Lions are also looking to avoid. Like the Ravens, Detroit is also trying hard to fend off other teams looking to seize the NFC North top spot.

MNF Betting Preview: Baltimore Ravens vs. Detroit Lions

Game Details:

When: 8:40 PM ET, December 16, 2013

Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Odds:

*As of December 11, 2013.

Money: Ravens (+225) vs. Lions (-265)

Spread: Ravens (+6) vs. Lions (-6)

Totals: 48.0

| Baltimore Ravens | Detroit Lions
SU/ATS | 7-6/6-7 | 7-6/6-7
O-U | 5-7-1 | 8-5
Last Game | vs. Minnesota Vikings (W 29-26) | vs. Philadelphia Eagles (L 34-20)
Player to Watch | Joe Flacco (3,238 Passing Yards, 18 Passing TDs) | Matthew Stafford (3,973 Passing Yards, 27 Passing TDs)

Betting on the Baltimore Ravens:

It was a dizzying see-saw battle down the stretch in the Ravens’ last game against the Vikings, as the lead exchanged hands numerous times. [sc:NFL240banner ]

Luckily for Baltimore, Joe Flacco had one more ace up his sleeve, throwing a touchdown pass with four seconds left in the game to give the Ravens a 29-26 win, allowing them to retain possession of the AFC’s last wildcard ticket. With the win, the Ravens look like they are peaking at the right time. They have now won three in a row and four of their last five to improve to 7-6 SU.

It helps that Flacco is returning to his Super Bowl form, throwing five TDs in his last three games. His three passing touchdowns against Minnesota were his most in a game so far this season. Flacco also set a new record for most wins by a QB in his first six seasons. The Vikings game was his 61st.

Aside from being 4-1 SU in their last five games, Baltimore is also 3-1 OVER in their last four games overall.

Bet now on the Baltimore Ravens.

Betting on the Detroit Lions

Instead of a comfortable two-game cushion between themselves and Chicago, the Lions are currently in a precarious position, despite having a share of the NFC North’s top spot. The result of their recent 34-20 loss against the surging Eagles, and the Bears win over the Cowboys, was an identical 7-6 SU record for both teams.

Detroit prides itself on a sturdy defense against the rush. The Lions rushing defense limits opposing players to just 99.3 yards per game – sixth best in the NFL. But that did not show in the snowy game against Philadelphia. In fact, they gave up the most yards on the ground among all teams in Week 14 as they let LeSean McCoy and the Eagles burn them for 299 rushing yards.

The Lions don’t have too much time to dwell as they’ll be facing another team with a ton of momentum in their Week 15 outing. Detroit has won four of their last six home games.

Bet now on the Detroit Lions.

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