The Baltimore Ravens have turned their season around with back-to-back wins behind rookie QB Lamar Jackson. However, Coach John Harbaugh may have a decision to make this week if usual starting QB Joe Flacco is healthy enough to play. The Ravens are slight NFL betting favorites at struggling Atlanta.
Ravens at Falcons NFL Week 13 Spread & Pick
- When: Sunday, 1 PM ET
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
- TV: CBS
- Radio: SiriusXM/NFL
- NFL Week 13 Spread: Baltimore Ravens -2.5 (Total 49)
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 18°C/65°F
- Humidity: 70%
- Precipitation: 9%
- Cloud Cover: 58%
- Wind: 9 mph W
- Stadium Type: Retractable
Last Meeting
In 2014, the Ravens beat the visiting Falcons 29-7. Elvis Dumervil and Pernell McPhee each had two sacks, and Baltimore punished Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. It was 17-0 at halftime. Baltimore allowed only four first downs in the pivotal first half, finished with five sacks and had a shutout going over the first 52 minutes.Joe Flacco sealed Baltimore’s win with 1:46 remaining, connecting with Torrey Smith for a 39-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-9. Flacco went 16 for 25 for 258 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions — both by Robert Alford. Justin Forsett gained 95 yards on 23 carries.
Why Bet on Baltimore?
Rookie QB Lamar Jackson has 190 rushing yards in his last 2 games, the most through a quarterback’s first 2 starts in the Super Bowl Era. In Sunday’s easy win over Oakland, the former Heisman winner was 14-of-25 passing for 178 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions while adding an additional 71 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.He was sacked once for a four-yard loss. Jackson rarely looked to run in the first half, accruing just 11 yards on two carries. He adopted a new philosophy after halftime, however, showing off his signature speed with a number of impressive scrambles including a 39-yard burst late in the fourth quarter. L-Jax also added his second career rushing touchdown, cramming it in from five yards out with 8:10 remaining in the third quarter. With Joe Flacco (hip) expected to resume practicing on Wednesday, it will be interesting to see if the Ravens turn back to their long-time starter.
Speaking Monday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said: “everything is on the table” with the team’s quarterback situation. That apparently includes splitting drives once Flacco (hip) is cleared. Harbaugh said the issue is the “protection” of Flacco’s hip, and that it must be “strong and stable.”
Harbaugh was asked if he believes in the notion that a player doesn’t lose his starting job because of an injury. “So, we’re going to go back to junior high clichés,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll do what gives us the best chance to win. Period. End of conversation.” Flacco, 33, has missed only eight games in his 11-year career. This is the first time in Harbaugh’s 11 seasons in Baltimore there has been a debate about the starting quarterback.
Gus Edwards rumbled for 118 yards on 23 carries Sunday in Baltimore’s Week 12 win over the Raiders. Edwards bull-dozed his way to a new career-high in yards while Alex Collins (foot) watched in street clothes. Eclipsing 100 yards rushing in back-to-back games tightens Edwards’ grip on the starting job over Collins and puts him in select company. He’s the first Ravens rookie to do so since Jamal Lewis in 2000. Edwards is the sixth undrafted rookie to accomplish this in the NFL’s common draft era, joining Clark Gaines (1976), Fred Lane (1997), Dominic Rhodes (2001), LeGarrette Blount (2010) and Brandon Oliver (2014).
He’s the first Ravens player to deliver this feat since Justin Forsett in November 2014.
Why Bet on Atlanta?
The Falcons were 31-17 losers in New Orleans last week, turning it over four times. Matt Ryan completed 35-of-47 passes for 377 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Ryan was terrific between the 20s, averaging 8.0 YPA and completing 74.4% of his passes throughout the evening. But New Orleans’ defense dominated with six sacks, five forced fumbles, and just 26 yards on the ground. To sum it all up, just know Ryan comically led the Falcons with 16 rushing yards. Atlanta lost three fumbles in the red zone.Julio Jones hauled in 11-of-14 targets for 147 yards. Jones was responsible for one of Atlanta’s three lost fumbles in the red zone. Another fumble occurred when Ryan lost the ball while waiting on Julio to separate on a designed play for him inside the 10. Jones is He’s now on pace for a whopping 122/1,898/4, which would slot his 2018 campaign at No. 2 all-time in single-season receiving yards.
Atlanta’s offensive line has been a problem all year and has been ravaged by injury. That group’s shortcomings were magnified in the loss to the Saints as the Falcons surrendered six sacks and averaged 1.6 yards per rush while accumulating just 26 rushing yards. The Falcons had seven plays where they needed 2 yards or less to either pick up a first down or score a touchdown. Three were incompletions by Ryan, two were Ito Smith being stopped for no gain, and one was Ryan being sacked for a 4-yard loss and fumbling the ball as the Saints brought the blitz up the middle.
Offensively, Atlanta has averaged just over 17 points in the last three games, and the Falcons have given up an average of 27 points to their opponents during that stretch. The Falcons have just two takeaways in their last three games, and they’ve given the ball away seven times, earning them a minus-5 turnover margin.
Latest Ravens at Falcons NFL Week 13 Betting Trends
- Ravens are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall
- Ravens are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up win of more than 14 points
- Falcons are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up loss
- Falcons are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games
- Atlanta is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 5 games
- Baltimore is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore’s last 6 games on the road
