The Green Bay Packers came into this season with a lot of question marks, and it turns out those concerns might have been warranted, as the team stumbled out to a 1-2 start before getting a win on the other side of their bye week.
Bovada has recently updated its futures odds to win each division for the upcoming NFL regular season. As part of an ongoing series for Cappers Picks, this time around we are going to take a closer look at the four teams vying for the 2013 division title in the AFC North.
San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick and Baltimore QB Joe Flacco have the best odds to win the Super Bowl MVP and in 5 of the last 6 years a QB has won the award including the last 3.
The Ravens (5-2) are coming off their worst loss in 5 years, but they have had the Browns’ number in the last few seasons. However, the Browns (2-6) have won 2 of their last 2 games and in their last couple of games they have really stepped up on defense.
The Ravens (3-1) have won 2 straight and are tied with the Bengals atop the AFC North. Unlike the last few years the Ravens are led by their offense, as their defense has not been the dominant unit we are used to seeing.
The Ravens got over their tough 1-point loss to the Eagles with a solid win over the Patriots in their last game and now face a winless Browns’ team that is struggling on both sides of the ball.
The Steelers and the Ravens have pretty even odds to win the AFC North this season, but can the young and upstart Bengals improve upon last season’s playoff appearance and can Brandon Weeden give the Browns a legit QB. Which they have sorely missed for a long time?
A big victory over Denver last week enabled the New England Patriots to make up for a few recent playoff failures on their home turf, one of which came at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens.
The winner of this game will play in the Super Bowl two weeks from now. Both of these teams have fallen short despite high expectations over the last few years, and you can bet that they are extremely hungry to get back to the Super Bowl.
New England is the big favorite thanks to a high-powered offense, but the Ravens can’t be discounted with their top-notch defense. Let’s take a closer look at this AFC Championship game.
Baltimore Ravens (13-4) vs. New England Patriots (14-3)
Time/Date: 3:00 PM EST, January 22, 2012
Venue: Gillette Stadium
Broadcast: CBS
Ravens vs. Patriots NFL Gambling Odds from JustBet
Spread: Patriots -7.5
Moneyline: New England (-330) Baltimore (+275)
Over/Under: 50.5
Baltimore’s offense has had an up and down season. Ray Rice is an absolute beast in the backfield, but there have been times throughout the year when this team simply hasn’t used him enough. Rice averaged 4.7 yards per carry, and he also led the team with 76 receptions this season. Rice is one of the most versatile running backs in the NFL, and the Ravens need to use him a lot this weekend. Joe Flacco has been highly criticized in the media this year. He has had his worst season as a pro statistically. Flacco is only completing 57.6% of his passes. He did play pretty well last week against the Texans. Anquan Boldin is the team’s top receiver. The Ravens average 23.6 points per game.
The main reason Baltimore is in the AFC Championship is their tremendous defense. The Ravens rank third in the NFL in total defense. Terrell Suggs has had a great career, but this has been his best season yet. Suggs has racked up 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles already this year. Haloti Ngata and Terrence Cody are a force in the middle of the defensive line. Ray Lewis is once again the team’s leading tackler. Ed Reed is older, but he is still one of the top safeties in the league. It’s tough to find a weak spot on this unit.[soliloquy id=”82219″]
New England’s offense has been a well-oiled machine this year. The Patriots average 32.1 points per contest. Tom Brady threw for 39 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions this year. He has a quarterback rating of 105.9. Brady has an endless amount of weapons to work with in this offense. Rob Gronkowski has 17 touchdowns in 17 games this year. Gronkowski has quickly become the best tight end in football. He is too quick for a linebacker, but too big for a safety or corner. Aaron Hernandez is listed as questionable for this game, but he is also a great tight end who creates mismatches. Wes Welker leads the team in catches with 122, and it would be tough to find a more reliable receiver in the NFL. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Steven Ridley, and Danny Woodhead carry the ball just enough to keep the defense honest.
The Patriots defense has given up a lot of yards this year, but they have done a nice job limiting the opposition’s touchdowns. New England ranks second to last in the NFL in total yards allowed per game, but they are giving up only 21.4 points per game. Kyle Arrington leads the team with seven interceptions. One source of concern for this group is the fact that their top two tacklers are both cornerbacks.
These teams have met three times in the past three years. All three games have been close, and they have all stayed under the posted total. Look for another game that is lower scoring than expected.
Free NFL Pick: Under 50.5
The Texans looked great on both sides of the ball last week in their playoff win over Cincinnati, but now they have a tall task taking on a Ravens’ team that went undefeated at home this season and has a great defense.
There is a lot on the line this Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. The Bengals need a win to guarantee a playoff spot, while the Ravens need a win to earn home field advantage in the playoffs.
There will be no resting starters here. It will be an all out fight to the end in Cincinnati. This should be one of the best games of the weekend.
Time/Date: 4:15 PM EST, January 1, 2012
Venue: Paul Brown Stadium
Broadcast: CBS
Ravens vs. Bengals Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
Spread: Ravens -2
Moneyline: Ravens (-130) Bengals (+110)
Over/Under: 37.5
Baltimore is 11-4 on the season, but they are just 3-4 on the road. Clearly, this is a team that definitely needs to get home field advantage in the playoffs. This is a game they badly need to win. Quarterback Joe Flacco has had his worst year as a professional this year. Flacco has been extremely inconsistent, and he is completing just 56.8% of his pass attempts. Can he be trusted to win a big game in the playoffs? Many experts don’t believe he can at this point. Ray Rice has put together a tremendous season in the backfield. Rice leads the team in rushing yards and receptions this year. He is probably the most versatile running back in the NFL.
The reason Baltimore has 11 wins is the spectacular play of their defense. Terrell Suggs leads the team with 13 sacks, and he has had the best year of a highly successful career. Ray Lewis isn’t quite the player he once was, but he leads the team with 67 tackles this season. This is a defense that thrives on forcing turnovers. Haloti Ngata has two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. LaDarius Webb leads an impressive secondary with five interceptions. Baltimore allows just 16.7 points per game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Andy Dalton came into a difficult situation and Cincinnati, but he has had an amazing first year with the Bengals. Dalton wasn’t picked until the second round, but he’ll get some serious consideration for Rookie of the Year in the NFL this season. Dalton has racked up 20 touchdown passes against just 13 interceptions. It has definitely helped to have star receiver A.J. Green on the outside. Green is only a rookie as well, but he has 63 catches for 1,031 yards. Jermaine Gresham has become a security blanket over the middle of the field for the Bengals. Cedric Benson had some problems with ball security last week. The Bengals must get a good performance out of him this week if they hope to win.
Cincinnati’s defense has suffered some major injuries, but this unit has done a nice job staying together of late. Leon Hall, Pat Sims, and Keith Rivers are out for the year with injuries. Reggie Nelson has revived his career with a strong season at the safety spot for Cincinnati this year. Nelson has 12 pass deflections and four interceptions. Thomas Howard and Rey Maualuga have been leaders at the linebacker position. The Bengals have allowed just 19.9 points per game this year.
I like both defenses a lot, but I think 37.5 is a little bit too low for this one. The last meeting between these two finished at 31-24. Look for this one to get into the 40’s.
Free NFL Pick: Over 37.5
The Baltimore Ravens have been in a battle for the AFC North all season. Now, it will come down to three games and their ability to get the job done on the road.
The Baltimore Ravens will be riding a wave of good fortune into Seattle to take on the Seahawks on Sunday on the heels of an impressive comeback win against Pittsburgh on Sunday night.
Regardless of records or importance, there is no NFL rivalry quite like when the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers get together on the gridiron.
While a handful of projected AFC contenders have started slow out of the gate, the Baltimore Ravens are right where they expected to be at the top of the AFC North after winning four of their first five games.
Baltimore vs Jacksonville Monday Night Football Handicapping Predictions
The lowly Jacksonville Jaguars survived better than many handicappers expected last week in a trip to Pittsburgh but life gets no easier this week, even at home. On Monday Night Football, the Jags host a Baltimore Ravens team that dominated the same Pittsburgh Steelers that beat them last week.
