Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Preview

Thursday Night Football features a matchup of Super Bowl hopefuls as the Baltimore Ravens (4-3) take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4). The Buccaneers will host this one at Raymond James Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 pm ET.

Both of these teams are ranked in the top 10 in terms of best odds to win Super Bowl LVII. For the Buccaneers, they are tied for the fifth-best odds in the NFL to win it all at +1600. The Ravens have the seventh-best odds at +1700.

For this Week 8 matchup, it is the Buccaneers that come in as slight favorites playing at home. They are -118 to win, while the Ravens’ moneyline sits at +100. The spread features Baltimore +1.5 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 45.5 (-110).

Ravens Trying To Find Consistency

Baltimore comes into this one having gone 3-3 in their last six games. Trying to find some consistency, the Ravens will look for their second win in a row after taking down the Browns last week 23-20.

In last week’s victory, Gus Edwards did most of the damage for the offense, rushing 16 times for 66 yards and two touchdowns. Lamar Jackson had just 120 yards throwing and 59 yards on the ground, but he wasn’t able to find the endzone the whole night.

On the season, the Ravens rank sixth in scoring averaging 25.9 points per game (27 on the road).

While he was kept in check last week, Jackson has played relatively well this season. He has thrown for 1,397 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions through seven games. He has also rushed 66 times for 510 yards and another two scores.

Jackson’s favorite target continues to be Mark Andrews. The tight end has 39 receptions for 455 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Defensively, the Ravens rank 21st in scoring defense, allowing 23 points per game (19.7 on the road).

Buccaneers Trying To Get Out Of Funk

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sit in first place in the NFC South, it is not because of good football. In fact, they come into this one having lost back-to-back games to the Pittsburgh Steelers (20-18) and Carolina Panthers (21-3).

Last week’s loss to the Panthers was especially embarrassing after Carolina had just shipped off their best weapon in Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers in a deal.

In the defeat, Tom Brady threw for 290 yards, but he could not find the endzone. Mike Evans had nine catches for 96 yards, but the rest of the offense did little else.

With their stretch of two tough games, the Buccaneers now sit 26th in scoring, averaging just 17.7 points per game (21.3 at home).

Under center is veteran quarterback and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady. To date, Brady has thrown for 1,942 yards, eight touchdowns, and just one interception.

Brady’s favorite targets continue to be Mike Evans (33 receptions, 454 yards, three touchdowns) and Chris Godwin (29 receptions, 293 yards). Leonard Fournette has also had a solid season rushing 103 times for 362 yards and a touchdown. He also has 34 receptions for 239 yards and another three scores.

While the offense has had some woes, the Buccaneers’ defense has played well. They rank fifth in scoring defense, allowing 17.7 points per game (23.3 at home).

Take The Ravens To Win On The Road

After the last two weeks, it is really hard to trust this Buccaneers’ team. They have seemed incredibly disinterested and have lost ugly games to two bad teams in the Steelers and the Panthers.

For the Ravens, they aren’t exactly taking the league by storm, but they have at least played with a bit more consistency than the Buccaneers.

Looking at the trends, Tampa Bay is 1-4 in their last five games, and they are 1-7 in their last eight games against AFC North opponents.

For Baltimore, they are 8-2 in their last ten games against the Buccaneers, and they are 4-1 in their last five when playing at Raymond James Stadium.

All things considered, there is a lot of value in Baltimore in this one. Take them to win straight up at +100.