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NFL Week 1: Tennessee is Slight Betting Favorite vs. Oakland

2016 NFL Oakland At Baltimore Expert Predictions

Written by on September 28, 2016

Every single season delivers a surprise team or two who find a way to rise up and find a way into the postseason. There was a feeling that the Oakland Raiders may be one of the teams to take a big step forward this season, but they have been a little inconsistent through the opening few weeks of the season. The same cannot be said for their opponents this weekend, the Baltimore Ravens, as they have quietly climbed their way to the top of the AFC North, ahead of the Steelers and Bengals, both of whom are considered to be much better teams. We can only hope that this game is as good as the one that these two teams played last year, when they combined for 70 points in a 37-33 win for the Ravens. It certainly looks as though this one is going to come down to the Raiders offense versus the Baltimore defense, and that makes for an intriguing match-up that should be fun to watch and wager on. Check the latest betting odds here.

Here’s A Closer Look At The 2016 NFL Raiders At Ravens Expert Predictions

When: Sunday, October 2 at 1 PM EST Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore TV: CBS Radio: KGMZ and WIYY NFL Odds: TBA  
 

Why bet on the Oakland Raiders

Strangely enough, the 2-1 Oakland Raiders have picked up both of their wins on the road this season, which is a little uncommon for a team that plays way out West. They have looked very good offensively this year, with QB Derek Carr very much looking like the player the Raiders had hoped he would be when they drafted him. There have been some issues on defense, but they seemed to fix those to a certain degree last week with a 17-10 win over the Titans in Tennessee. The big question for Oakland this week is how they are going to solve a Baltimore defense that has been lights out through the opening 3 weeks. If they can do that, they can pick up win number 3 on the road.

Why bet on the Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore are winning, but they have yet to blow anyone out, relying instead on some stellar defense to get the job done. This is by no means a perfect team, and they may have been taken out by the Browns in Week 2 if Cleveland hadn’t succumbed to a number of injuries that led to them blowing an 18-point lead. This is a team that has become a little too reliant on the arm of Joe Flacco, as they have gotten nothing out of their run game in the opening 3 weeks. It’s going to be interesting to see how this defense holds up against the powerful force that is the Raiders attack. Oakland are running the ball well, but the Ravens have yet to give up 100 yards in a single game, which is where they might win this one.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

These two teams don’t meet very often, but when they do, it’s the Ravens who come out on top. They have met 5 times since 1992, and Baltimore has won all 5. I think they win again this weekend.

Oakland Raiders 17 Baltimore Ravens 21