NFL Week 3: Lions at Ravens Predictions & Odds

The Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens bounced back from season opening losses with impressive wins last week showing why they are considered among the NFL’s elite. The two close the Week 3 betting schedule with a Monday Night Football showdown on ESPN. The game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET from MT Bank Stadium in Baltimore on September 22.

Lions at Ravens Preview

In their 52-21 Week 2 thrashing of the Bears, Detroit looked a lot like the team that led the NFL in scoring and was second in total yards a season ago. A change in coordinators may have played a role in the sluggish start when the Lions didn’t score a touchdown until the final minute against Green Bay. “This train keeps rolling and it’s always going to start with the players,” coach Dan Campbell said.

And they delivered especially Jared Goff, whose five TD passes matched his number of incompletions. It was the balanced offensive attack we’ve seen from the Lions over the past several years with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combining for 151 rushing yards and a TD each and the offense amassing 511 total yards.

Detroit has won 16 straight regular season games when leading at halftime.
The Lions have reached the 50-point mark three times in their last 13 regular season games.
Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson are tied for the NFL lead with six TD passes.
The Lions are 6-3 SU and ATS in their last nine games as a road underdog.

Behind two-time MVP Lamar Jackson the Ravens are pretty good on offense. In fact they lead the NFL in scoring as the only team to score at least 40 points in two games. After a devastating Week 1 loss when they blew a 15-point fourth quarter to Buffalo, the Ravens made sure that didn’t happen again. They scored three TDs in just under nine minutes at the start of the fourth, expanding their lead to 41-10.

It wasn’t an explosive offensive performance but it was efficient. Jackson threw four TD passes and the offense totaled just 242 yards. A blocked punt, interception and turnover on downs led to short fields and scores, and the defense chipped in with a Roquan Smith fumble return for a TD.

The Ravens are 7-1 SU and 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight home games.
Over his last eight regular season games Jackson has 22 TD passes and just one interception.
Baltimore leads the NFL in scoring (40.5) and yards per play (6.5).
The Ravens are next to last in the NFL allowing an average of 409.5 yards per game.

Lions at Ravens Predictions

We talked a lot about how explosive the teams are on offense and how they’ve been that way for several years. We haven’t mentioned defense much, and both teams were markedly improved in that area in Week 2. And the expectation is that both clubs will continue to get better. With that being said and with the total at the time of this writing at 53, I’m seriously considering backing the UNDER.

Lions at Ravens Betting Tips

Baltimore opened as a 4.5-point favorite on the NFL betting line with a moneyline price of -234.
The Lions are 2-7 SU and 6-3 ATS in their last nine games as a road dog of 4-points or more.
Detroit is +207 on the moneyline.
The total of 53 is the highest this season.
The OVER is 5-2 in Detroit’s last seven games with a total of at least 50 points.
The OVER is 12-3 in Baltimore’s last 15 regular season games.

Lions at Ravens Head to Head and Key Stats

The teams have played just seven times with Baltimore winning six games.
The Ravens won the last five meetings going 4-1 ATS.
Most recently the clubs played in 2023 with Lamar Jackson throwing for 357 yards and three TDs in a 38-6 Baltimore win.
The Ravens have wins and payouts in all four home games in the series.