Buffalo At Baltimore Week 1 NFL Free Picks

Posted by Joe Solari on Wednesday,August 3, 2016 9:52, EDT in

NFL News, Betting Tips, Picks & Previews

Coming off their worst season under coach Jim Harbaugh since the ’04-’05 season, the Baltimore Ravens have retooled their squad with several game-changers and will be hoping to bounce back in a strong way in the 2016 NFL odds, starting with the Week 1 tilt against the Rex Ryan-led Buffalo Bills. Let’s take a brief look at this game and find out who should be your preferred pick in the online sports betting books.

Bills At Ravens Week 1 NFL Free Picks

Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
When: Sunday, September 11, 1:00 PM ET
TV: CBS
NFL Lines: Buffalo (+3), Baltimore (-3), OVER/UNDER 43

Why Bet on Buffalo

Buffalo Bills was one of the feel-good stories of 2015, as QB Tyrod Taylor used his dual-threat skills to trouble defenses while the Bills defense showed mega improvements under former Ravens and Jets coach, Ryan. With Taylor back as a starter for Buffalo for the second year running, the expectation is that he will be more comfortable under the center, with the rest of the team also improving after decent upgrades were made all over the roster in the offseason. Numbers-wise, the Bills own a 4-3 All-time edge over the Ravens, including a 23-20 victory in their last meeting in 2013. This should give the visitors a lot of motivation to fight for an upset in this Week 1 fixture.

Why Bet on Baltimore

With veterans like star safety Eric Weddle and TE Benjamin Watson added in the offseason, QB Joe Flacco should have better protection along with better weapons to exploit in the offense, unlike his injury-riddled and thin group of targets in 2015. More importantly, the Ravens have been one of the better home teams over the past many seasons and are perennial strong starters when playing in Week 1 at home, as is attested to by their 4-1 home record in Week 1 games since Harbaugh stepped in Baltimore. As if that isn’t enough, Ryan is 0-3 in his games against the Ravens, his former team. Assuming the preseason goes all fine and no major injuries are witnessed in the Baltimore camp, the Ravens should be more than capable of winning this game by a touchdown or better.

Expert NFL Predictions and Picks

Even without Ryan’s history put into consideration, Joe Flacco is a way better QB than Taylor and the Ravens are a more talented unit than the Bills, especially in the offense. So, although Buffalo’s strong running game and defense will keep them in this game, I expect Flacco and the Ravens to use their offensive superiority to win this game rather comfortably for the SU and ATS.