Falcons vs. Ravens Point Spread: NFL Week 16 Odds, Prediction
Needless to say, that will affect the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
This game is very important for both sides as they chase a division title/playoff spot. Atlanta is last in the NFC South at 5-9 but only a game behind first-place Tampa Bay. That might be the worst single-season division in history and only the champion will advance to the postseason.
Baltimore (9-5) should get a wild-card berth at worst and is a game behind first-place and red-hot Cincinnati in the AFC North. The Ravens would win the head-to-head tiebreaker as things stand, but they play again in Cincinnati to close the regular season.
Since moving to Baltimore, the Ravens are 4-2 straight up in the series and 5-1 against the spread. The teams haven’t met since 2018 when Atlanta lost 26-16 at home. Lamar Jackson was a rookie then and threw for 125 yards and rushed for 75 and a TD. Matt Ryan was still the Atlanta QB, but he’s now in Indianapolis.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons gave third-round rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder his first NFL start on Sunday –he’ll be the guy the rest of the way barring injury – and the former University of Cincinnati star struggled against a good Saints defence and in a 21-18 loss. Ridder completed 13 of 26 for 97 yards (probably should have had two interceptions but didn’t have any) with a very conservative game plan and rushed six times for 38 yards. It was the first time a Falcons starting quarterback had fewer than 100 yards passing since Matt Ryan had 15 yards vs. the Bucs in 2009, a game he left because of injury. Atlanta is run-heavy team and had 231 yards and two TDs on the ground, led by a career-high 139 yards from rookie Tyler Allgeier. Another rookie tailback, Caleb Huntley, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Atlanta is 2-6 ATS in its past eight games.
Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore played its second straight game without quarterback and former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson last Saturday and it was ugly in a 13-3 loss in Cleveland – although the defence played very well. Backup Tyler Huntley managed just 138 yards with a pick on 30 attempts. JK Dobbins was a bright spot with 125 yards on 13 carries. The Ravens had a missed field goal, two turnovers on downs (one in the red zone), a red-zone interception and a blocked field goal. It was Baltimore’s fewest points in a regular-season game in 14 years and it has averaged a league-low 13.8 points over the past five games. Coach John Harbaugh was unwilling Monday to commit to Jackson (knee) returning for this game. This was always the most realistic target date. We will pick as if he plays. The Ravens are 1-4 ATS in their past five.
ATL
BAL