Things have continued to go from bad to worse for the Baltimore Ravens. They're having their worst year under John Harbaugh, and it's tough to see how live bettors can get onboard with them when they visit the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football in Week 7.
WHEN THE ARIZONA CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL
The Cardinals are becoming more and more dangerous with each passing game. They laid a bit of an egg last week in Pittsburgh, but with John Brown emerging as one of the best deep threats in the league and Michael Floyd starting to come into his own once again in his last few weeks, that gives Carson Palmer three legitimate weapons to get the ball out to in space with, of course, Larry Fitzgerald.
To say that the Baltimore secondary hasn't been good is an understatement. Derek Carr, Andy Dalton, Josh McCown and Colin Kaepernick have all thrown for at least 340 yards against this secondary. That's not exactly a "Who's Who" list of quarterbacks in the NFL, and it's a testament to just how weak this unit has become.
Live bettors should be prepared for the big play. It keeps happening against this Baltimore 'D', and there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason for when it happens or who is doing the damage.
Keep in mind as well that Baltimore has allowed 13.0 points per game in the second half this season, a problem which could be magnified against an offense averaging 13.8 points per game in the second half. Even if things are bad at halftime for the Ravens, Bruce Arians is very likely going to keep his foot on the gas pedal for a little bit to ensure that the game is away, and live bettors could find themselves benefiting as a result.
WHEN THE BALTIMORE RAVENS HAVE THE BALL
The fact of the matter is that the raw numbers for the Ravens aren't bad offensively. They're averaging 369.5 yards and 23.8 points per game, and they're an above-average team when it comes to running the ball and throwing it.
However, if you've watched this team, you know that these stats don't tell the whole story.
Baltimore is -5 in the turnover department this year, and going against one of the most opportunistic defenses in the league isn't going to help that number out. Furthermore, the Ravens are only putting up such great total numbers because they've snapped the ball a ton. Joe Flacco is averaging over 41 pass attempts per game, while the tailbacks on this roster are averaging 25 rushes per game as well.
This just isn't a pretty sight as we see it for the Ravens, who are trending in the wrong direction for sure. If Steve Smith Sr. can't get himself open quite a bit against one of the top cover corners in the game in Patrick Peterson, this offense is going to do a lot of punting on the day.
TREND TO TRACK
We normally don't care a lot about the preseason here at BookMaker, but every now and again, you can go back and take a hint from what you saw. The Ravens didn't win any of their last three preseason games, and for the most part, they didn't look good in any of those games with their starters out there either.
That said, it's still shocking to us that this is the only team in the NFL without a cover. Clearly at some point, the Ravens are going to cover a game, and live bettors must remember that. Those of you who bet on the Packers last week probably learned that lesson that all good streaks come to an end at some point.
Still, at 0-5-1 ATS and very lucky not to be 0-6 SU and ATS, it's tough to have any love for Baltimore at the moment.
BookMaker opened the NFL spread for this Monday game at -7 in favor of the Arizona Cardinals. The NFL odds total surfaced at 49. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event.
Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Arizona Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens is scheduled for Monday, October 26, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. ET at University of Phoenix Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
