Ravens vs. Buccaneers Point Spread: NFL Week 8 Odds, Prediction
It’s the first AFC vs. NFC Thursday night game of the 2022 season – not including the Kickoff Game – as Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens visit Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Ravens are 1.5-point favourites to win on the NFL odds, with a total of 45.0.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
This probably will be the last-ever game between quarterbacks and former NFL MVPs Jackson and Brady, unless they meet in Super Bowl 57. Not impossible but pretty unlikely. They might be two of the most dissimilar QBs in league history as Jackson is perhaps the greatest running QB and Brady is a statue. Jackson seems likely to win another MVP before he’s done. Brady will finish with three.
It’s the first meeting between these franchises since Week 15 of the 2018 season in Baltimore when the Ravens prevailed 20-12 – Brady was still with the New England Patriots then and the Tampa QB was Jameis Winston, who was not good that game. Jackson threw for 131 yards and a score and rushed for 95 yards.
The road team is 5-0 against the spread in the past five meetings.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have blown a handful of double-digit leads this season in losses and they nearly did it again on Sunday but held on for a 23-20 home victory over Cleveland. Baltimore blocked the Browns’ 61-yard game-tying field goal attempt. In his season debut off injury, Gus Edwards rushed for two scores. The Ravens didn’t ask Jackson to do much passing as he was just 9-for-16 for 120 yards. He also rushed for 59 yards and leads all quarterbacks with 510 rushing yards this season. He has joined Cam Newton as the only quarterbacks ever with at least 500 rushing yards in each of their first five seasons.
No. 1 running back JK Dobbins landed on injured reserve last week. Outside linebacker Justin Houston returned after missing three games injured and had two sacks. Defensive end Calais Campbell aims for his third game in a row with a sack and has recorded 10 tackles for loss and six sacks in his past five Thursday games. The Ravens are 0-3-1 ATS in their past four games.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs lost as a double-digit road favourite for the second game in a row Sunday, 21-3 at a bad Carolina team. Brady just doesn’t look right; he threw for 290 yards but it took him 49 attempts and no TDs. Brady does have an active streak of 271 consecutive passes without an interception, breaking his own Buccaneer record. In 16 career Thursday starts, he has totalled 4,779 passing yards (298.7 per game) and 39 touchdowns (35 passing, four rushing) against nine interceptions for a 103.9 rating.
Tampa Bay can’t run the ball whatsoever. Mike Evans dropped a sure TD pass on the opening drive. Fellow wideout Russell Gage left with a hamstring injury and is in question here. So is cornerback Antoine Winfield, who probably sits with a concussion. Tampa Bay is 1-8 ATS in its past nine on Thursday.
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