Bills vs. Ravens Total Prediction
Will two struggling offenses from 2017 find much offense on Sunday at 1PM ET when the Baltimore Ravens face the Buffalo Bills?
Game Snapshot & Odds
459 Buffalo Bills at 460 Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, September 9, 2018
1PM ET – M&T Bank Stadium
TV: CBS
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Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Ravens are favored at home in this game, as they are getting odds of -7.5 points against the Bills. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 40.5 points. The public betting for this game currently has 80 percent going on Baltimore at home. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our NFL Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Bills make playoffs in 2017
The Buffalo Bills were a surprise entrant in the 2017 NFL playoffs last season after going 9-7 and earning a Wild Card berth. The Bills then lost 10-3 at Jacksonville in the opening round of the playoffs to finish 9-8 overall. Buffalo was 10-6-1 against the spread and 9-8 with the under. Sean McDermott enters his second season as head coach of the Bills.
Buffalo didn’t have a great offense last year, averaging just 18.9 points and 302.6 yards per game. They had a passing attack that put up just 176.6 yards per game. After being led by Tyrod Taylor last season, Buffalo is starting Nathan Peterman at quarterback this year. He had just 252 passing yards with five interceptions and two touchdowns last season. Rookie Josh Allen will back him up. LeSean McCoy returns after rushing for 1,138 yards and six touchdowns and catching 59 passes for 448 yards. Defensively, Buffalo allowed 22.4 points and 355.1 yards per game. The Bills tried to address their defense in the draft and through signing defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. He has 11.5 sacks in his five-year NFL career.
Ravens miss out on playoffs
The Baltimore Ravens also went 9-7 last year, but lost the Wild Card tiebreaker to the Bills. Baltimore lost its finale at home to the Cincinnati Bengals to cost it the playoff spot. The Ravens were 8-7-1 against the spread and 9-7 with the over. John Harbaugh enters his 11th season as head coach. He is 94-66 overall with the Ravens, but has missed the playoffs four of the last five years.
The Ravens were pretty solid on defense again last year, allowing just 18.9 points and 325.1 yards per game. However, their offense struggled to put up yards. They averaged just 305.4 yards per game despite scoring 24.7 per contest. Joe Flacco will be the starting QB once again despite a lackluster 2017. Flacco threw for 3,141 yards and 18 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. He has a whole new lot of receivers, as the Ravens brought in Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead in the offseason. Alex Collins nearly rushed for 1,000 yards and last and had six rushing touchdowns. The defense returns its stud linebackers C.J. Mosley and Terrell Suggs. Mosley had 132 tackles while Suggs had 11 sacks.
NFL Betting Trends
Buffalo
The Bills have hit the under in five straight season openers and seven of their last 10 road games.
Baltimore
The Ravens have hit the under in four straight season openers, but have hit the over in five of their last seven games on fieldturf.
Prediction:
This game should be an ugly one. Both teams have strong defensive units and face offenses that have been shaky. I don’t see Peterman being able to do much against the Baltimore defense. The Ravens could have some promise on offense with improved receivers, but the Bills have been pretty good on defense when they need to be. I expect this game to see few points scored and come down to a play here and there.
NFL Prediction: Bills/Ravens Under 40.5