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5 NFL win total over/under bets to make you rich

By Rucker Haringey

SANTA CLARA, CA - JUNE 12: San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) stands and watches his team during minicamp on June 12, 2018 at the SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Corey Silvia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - JUNE 12: San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) stands and watches his team during minicamp on June 12, 2018 at the SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Corey Silvia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 31: Quarterback Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens runs off the field in the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 31: Quarterback Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens runs off the field in the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

4. Baltimore Ravens: 8 wins — Under

Not every team we select is going to be lauded for a rosy outlook. Unlike the Falcons, I’m expecting the Ravens to come in under their eight win projection for 2018. The early money doesn’t agree with me though, you can get +125 by taking the under at the moment.

The pessimism for the Ravens is a product of their offense. It’s unclear whether or not Joe Flacco is actually good enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL any longer. There’s been a lot of positive talk about him coming out of Ravens’ camp, but there’s no reason to believe anything until we see it on the field.

There’s a significant chance that Lamar Jackson takes over the reins of this offense sooner, rather than later. He may ultimately become a good NFL quarterback, but that won’t happen during his rookie season. It’s easy to envision a scenario where the Ravens struggle early and elect to give Jackson a chance to revive their season. That sort of Hail Mary rarely works out.

The challenge here is that you have to hope the Ravens’ defense doesn’t continue to play at a really high level. At some point, players like Terrell Suggs are going to slow down due to age. Don’t look for this group to be anything close to bad in 2018, but they might not be elite. That should be enough to keep the Ravens below .500 and as such, below their projection of eight wins.