Joe Flacco doesn’t have to worry about losing his starting job to rookie first-round pick Lamar Jackson. Flacco has been money this preseason while Jackson is still learning that the NFL is much different from the college game. The real position battle on the Baltimore Ravens roster is for the backup quarterback gig with the forgotten Robert Griffin III making the decision more difficult for John Harbaugh. Coming off a Monday night game, the Ravens have less time to prepare for their preseason Week 3 showdown with the Miami Dolphins.
This matchup in Week 3 of the preseason will go down Saturday, August 25, 2018, at 7 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium.
NFL Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Baltimore Ravens PK
Miami Dolphins PK
Over/Under 41.5
Odds Analysis
It’s hard to go against John Harbaugh and the Ravens, who have won 11 straight preseason games while going 9-2 ATS. Some inconsistent play has kept the Dolphins out of the win column and game opened as a pick em. Miami has cashed the over in both games this year and six straight. The total hit the board at 41.5.
Quarterback Rotation
There is no question as to who the starter is in Baltimore. He may have felt threatened when the team drafted Jackson in the first round, but the likely answer for Flacco’s preseason success is his health. After dealing with a knee injury in 2016 and a back ailment last year, Flacco is healthy and so are his numbers. Flacco was 7 of 9 for 79 yards and a touchdown in Monday’s win and has completed 75 percent of his throws with a 141.4 rating in two games.
Flacco didn’t play last preseason as he recovered from his back issue and that led to his ineffectiveness once the real games began. Look for Flacco to put in time on Saturday before turning it over to Jackson and RG3. Despite his inconsistency Jackson has shown signs of brilliance and the plan remains the same. Jackson threw a scoring pass on Monday but completed less than 50 percent of his passes for the third straight game. Griffin is the odd man out and if the Ravens decide not to keep three QBs, making a deal is a possibility.
Ryan Tannehill missed 20 regular season games the last two seasons, including all of 2017, so he’s taking every opportunity to enter this season on a strong note. He was efficient last week, completing 14 of 17 for 100 yards despite playing without his top two receivers. But the Fins struggled to finish drives and settled for three first half field goals.
With this game his final tuneup before the regular season, expect to see Tannehill play the first half before giving way to Brock Osweiler. Osweiler solidified his spot as the primary backup by going 10 of 13 for 68 yards against the Panthers. It would be a surprise to see David Fales or Bryce Petty take snaps as they are the Week 4 guys.
Coaching History
John Harbaugh has made Ravens’ backers plenty of dough during the preseason. Baltimore extended its tune-up game winning streak to 11 with last week’s narrow victory over the Colts. A late punt block allowed Indy to get the backdoor cover, but the Ravens are 9-2 ATS during the streak. Under Harbaugh the Ravens are 7-3 SU and 6-4 ATS in dress rehearsal games.
While Adam Gase continues to work on changing the culture in Miami’s locker room, they have yet to win a game this preseason going 0-2 ATS. Gase is 4-6 SU and ATS in his preseason career and the Fins have been able to score, cashing the over in their last six.
Free ATS Pick
The Ravens have been good this preseason and they are showing that they could be a contender in the AFC. However, this matchup comes on the heels of a Monday night game and is the team’s fourth exhibition contest after playing in the Hall of Fame game. Even with 90 players on the roster that’s a lot of travel, practice and game time.
Mistakes, penalties and undisciplined play finally got to Gase, who ripped into his team following last week’s loss. The Dolphins aren’t good enough and they don’t have enough play makers to overcome that kind of football. I expect they will make the proper adjustments this week and play a much cleaner game. They should also have their top receivers available for Tannehill and Frank Gore is expected to play. That should be enough for the Fins to get a victory.
NFL Betting Odds: Dolphins 29, Ravens 24
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