Just about everything that could go wrong did last year for the Baltimore Ravens. Certainly no team had worse luck from an injury perspective and in losing close games. It all started with a close Week 1 defeat in Denver when star linebacker Terrell Suggs was lost for the season. The lowest point likely was in Week 10 when a face-mask penalty against Elvis Dumervil handed the Jaguars a chance to kick a game-winning field goal with no time left. Baltimore would finish 5-11, its worst record ever under Coach John Harbaugh. But at least that meant a high draft pick. The Ravens have a wins total of 8.5 for 2016 on NFL betting odds.
Let’s Take a Closer Look at the 2016 Baltimore Ravens Season Win Total Predictions
Camp is coming. #SlowMoMondayhttps://t.co/UqYbeUuiMY
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 18, 2016
Total Win/Loss Odds Overview
Baltimore was treated to an unpleasant experience it hadn’t seen in eight seasons last year: a game without Joe Flacco. Flacco’s 2015 campaign came to an end after he suffered two torn knee ligaments in the final minutes in Week 11 against the Rams. In addition, first-round pick Breshad Perriman, a receiver from Central Florida, was expected to inject speed into a Ravens offense that was short on playmakers. But he never saw the field due to a knee injury.
Why Betting On The Over
Because Baltimore is due some good luck and health and Flacco will be ready for training camp, although the team will likely be very cautious with him. Flacco said he will report to camp on time and that he’ll see how his knee feels and won’t hesitate to ask Harbaugh to sit out reps if needed. He plans to “be smart but get my work done.”
Flacco usually takes the bulk of the first-team reps, but he most often shares them with the backup quarterback. That will again be the plan this year. Flacco is approaching this training camp just as he would any other.
“I don’t anticipate saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to take half the reps today,’” Flacco said. “I’m going to go out there and I’m going to do it.”
Baltimore has added competition throughout the roster and the skill position players look to be much better this season. Add in some solid additions to the defense and the Ravens have an opportunity to get back into the thick of things in the AFC.
Why Betting On The Under
The Ravens were reportedly interested in drafting Laremy Tunsil with their first-round pick, but once the video surfaced of him smoking marijuana, the Ravens went with Ronnie Stanley with the 6th pick. Just weeks later, they released Eugene Monroe, who has been adamant about marijuana usage in the NFL.
The Ravens have a hole to fill at left guard with Kelechi Osemele, who’s now playing with the Oakland Raiders. It’s a wide open competition at the position and one that will be interesting with a rookie already set to start at left tackle. The battle for the starting gig will be between John Urschel, Ryan Jensen, Vlad Ducasse and rookie Alex Lewis. None of these guys are as good as Osemele.
In addition, Perriman is hurt again. Last year, Harbaugh initially downplayed a right knee injury Perriman sustained during the first full-squad practice of training camp, calling it a “day-to- day” situation. Much to the team’s surprise, the 2015 first-round pick missed his entire rookie season with a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament.
A year later, Perriman is dealing with a partially-torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The good news is that renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, who performed arthroscopic surgery on Perriman, didn’t believe season-ending reconstructive knee surgery was necessary. Instead, he gave the player a stem cell injection to speed the healing.
My Betting Prediction
There’s still plenty of talent on this team. Go over the wins total on betting odds.
