The Ravens have Started to Pick up

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens take on the Carolina Panthers on November 20th at 12 CST. The Ravens are having a good season, at a record of 6-3, and sit on top of the NFC North. The Panthers have struggled all season, sitting at the bottom of the NFC South with a record of 3-7. The Ravens are favorites at (-800) compared to the Panthers, who are at (+500). The spread is at -13 in favor of the Ravens, and the over/under is 45. Sign up for BetMGM and receive up to 1000% with your first deposit(new members only). Use code 7084771 when signing up.

Not a lot has been going well for the Panthers this season. However, the Panthers are coming off a win as they defeated the 4-6 Atlanta Falcons 25-12. Quarterback issues are what have been holding the Panthers down. They have switched between Baker Mayfield and PJ Walker; both have been struggling all season. Baker Mayfield has thrown for 1,117 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions. This has led him to have a passer rating of 78.1. PJ Walker has not been better, only throwing for 771 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Again, he has put up a quarterback rating of 78. Mayfield has been picked to be the starter for this game.  Based on these two struggles, their passing ranking is at the bottom of the league. They sit 31st in yards per game with 308.7 and 178.2 passing yards per game, 28th in the NFL. Since the McCaffery trade, D’onta Foreman has filled the role well, running for 426 yards and four touchdowns. Run defense has also been an issue for the Panthers, as they rank 26th in the league \with 139.2 yards allowed per game. 

The ravens have started to pick up. One issue they have also had season has been closing games. They blew major games against top competitors in the league, like the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. Last game, the Ravens won prime-time against the New Orleans Saints 27-13. Lamar Jackson struggled the previous game, only throwing for 133 yards. However, he has been having a good season. Jackson has thrown for 1,768 yards, along with 16 touchdowns. Rushing has also been a significant part of his game. He has run for 636 yards, along with two touchdowns. The Front seven on both sides of the ball has been dominant for the Ravens this year.

They rank 11 in sacks with 27 and have only given up 20 sacks on the season. For their defense, they have been dominant in stopping the run. They rank third in rushing yards allowed per game, only giving up 92 per game. Passing has been a struggle for the team, as they rank 27th in yards per game with 168.6. Rushing has been vital for the offense this year, as they are second in rushing yards per game with 168.1. Because of their rush offense, the Ravens are ranked fourth in the league in points per game, with 26.1

Two key factors favor the Ravens for this game. One is rushing the ball. The Panthers have struggled to stop the run all season, and the ravens based their offense around that. Another critical factor is that the game is in Baltimore. Yes, the raven’s home record is only 2-2; however, the Panthers have yet to get a win this year on the road. In addition, the Panther’s offense is awful, and they struggle to stop the run. Because of this, I am taking the Ravens -13.