Ravens vs. 49ers Point Spread: NFL Week 16 Odds, Prediction
It is not hyperbole to say that one of the greatest Monday night matchups in history concludes Week 16 on Christmas night as the AFC-best Baltimore Ravens visit the NFC-best San Francisco 49ers in a very possible preview of Super Bowl 58. The Niners are -5.5 on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Both these teams are 11-3 and control their destiny to earn the top seed in their respective conferences, which means neither would leave home in the playoffs other than a trip to Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas. San Francisco and Baltimore rank first and second in odds to win the Super Bowl, and quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Lamar Jackson are 1-2 in MVP odds.
If this writer heard right on the Week 15 Monday night telecast, this will mark only the third time in MNF history where two teams with at least 11 victories face off. Regardless of day, it’s only the second Week 16 or later game since 1970 between teams tied for the best record in the league. The Ravens lead the NFL in scoring defence at 16.1 points per game, and the Niners are second at 16.7 ppg.
San Francisco would clinch the NFC’s top seed with a victory and losses by Eagles, Cowboys and Lions. Dallas and Detroit could lose on the road Sunday, but Philadelphia almost surely is not losing at home to the New York Giants earlier on Monday.
Baltimore leads the all-time series 5-2, which includes a 34-31 win in Super Bowl XLVII when it was the Harbaugh Bowl between Ravens head coach John (still going strong) and then-Niners head coach Jim, who is now at Michigan.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens would clinch the AFC North with a win and Cleveland loss or tie on Sunday in in Houston. Baltimore’s three losses are by a combined 12 points with one in overtime. Almost impossibly, the team has led in the final two minutes in each of its 14 games, only the third team since 2000 to accomplish that in the first 14 games of a season – the other three lost in Super Bowl. The Ravens enter on a four-game winning streak (three by double digits) following a 23-7 win last Sunday night at a good Jacksonville team. Lamar Jackson threw for 171 yards with a TD and pick and rushed for 97 yards. Jackson is on pace to average 200 passing yards and 50 rushing years in a season for the third time, which no other QB has done. The Ravens took a bit of an injury hit in the win as rising rookie running back Keaton Mitchell, who went undrafted, suffered a season-ending torn ACL. The speedster wasn’t the featured back but was averaging a whopping 8.4 yards on his 47 carries and was a home-run threat every time he touched the ball. Despite previously losing his top running back (J.K. Dobbins) and Pro Bowl tight end (Mark Andrews) to season-ending injuries, Jackson has Baltimore averaging 27.4 points per game, which is the fourth best in the NFL.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers clinched the NFC West title on Sunday with a 45-29 win at Arizona, and they have been a juggernaut out of their Week 9 bye with six straight wins by double digits and a plus-113 point differential. San Francisco is the first team since the 2009 Saints, who would win the Super Bowl, to win six straight games by at least 12 points in a season. The Niners are 18-0 all-time including playoffs when QB Brock Purdy, RB Christian McCaffrey and WR Deebo Samuel are all healthy and play a full game (Purdy left last season’s NFC title game loss in Philadelphia early due to injury). They also have won 17 straight regular-season games in November or later, tied for the longest streak all-time. Defensively, the Niners are tied for the NFL lead in takeaways with 25 and lead the NFL in sacks since Week 10, which coincided with the trade acquisition of former Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young from Washington.
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