NFL Week 4: Five best bets
By Jeff Glauser
Oakland Raiders (+3.5) at Baltimore Ravens
FiftyFourPercent:
Baltimore may have been the unluckiest team in 2015. This year it’s turned around as the Ravens may be the luckiest. A blocked field goal, late game turnover and clutch kicks by Justin Tucker have allowed the Ravens to survive each week in beating the Bills, Browns and Jaguars. Want to know the combined record of those three Baltimore opponents? Why, it’s 1-8!
The Ravens’ ground game has been nonexistent. Their passing attack has also been inconsistent, managing just 13 points against Buffalo and 19 versus Jacksonville. Baltimore’s record as a home favorite is 1-7-1 the past nine times. Derek Carr has more upside than Joe Flacco. He’s already better and is going to provide a major test for the largely untested Ravens’ secondary.
The Raiders have a top 10 offense and a defense far more talented than it’s numbers show. There is the matter of this being the Raiders’ third road game in four weeks and having an early start time, usually a bad factor for a West Coast team traveling East. Oakland, though, already is 2-0 straight up and ATS this season, having played early games in wins against the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans. So their biological clocks have adjusted.
Glauser:
Going into the season, I had two AFC teams that looked ripe to take the next leap into respectability: The Jaguars and the Raiders. While I now have one leg dangling off the Jacksonville bandwagon (and will make a full eject upon a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in London), I remain steadfast in my respect for Oakland thus far. And the biggest unsung hero on the roster right now may be the offensive line. Even without a legit No. 1 back, they’re rushing at a healthy 5.1 yards per carry clip. Carr has looked comfortable in the pocket and has only been sacked twice in three games. All of this and Amari Cooper has yet to reach the end zone.
Similar to their purple counterparts in the NFC, I’m not sold on the Ravens just yet. Like the Vikings, they have a solid coach in John Harbaugh. Also like the Vikings, they have an uncertain running attack and a veteran quarterback in Joe Flacco that can be prone to the costly turnover. They’ve ridden the coattails of their defense to this point, but it’s an aging unit with possible stamina concerns. This could be the game that signifies a changing of the guard of sorts for perennial AFC playoff contenders.