Baltimore Ravens vs Las Vegas Raiders Betting Preview: Banged-Up Baltimore Bids to Put Painful Preseason in the Rearview Against Raiders

The first Monday Night Football game of the season is also the first game in Las Vegas with fans in the stands. It should be a party at Allegiant Stadium. Will the Raiders send the home fans happy? NFL betting odds have the Ravens as a favorite by a little more than a field goal, but the Raiders have won their last two season openers under Jon Gruden.

Baltimore has to be happy to finally get to some real games with the way they have been losing players to injury in practice. The losses hurt, but QB Lamar Jackson is special enough to cover for them.

The Raiders are looking for some hope. Every other team in their division won yesterday. They do not want to fall behind the pace too quickly. They need a good showing to take some heat off of Gruden as well.

Baltimore Ravens (0-0) vs Las Vegas Raiders (0-0), ABC, 8:15 p.m. ET

Baltimore Ravens vs Las Vegas Raiders NFL Betting Odds

Moneyline

• Baltimore Ravens -194
• Las Vegas Raiders +162

Total

• OVER 50.5 (-108)
• UNDER 50.5 (-112)

Spread

• Baltimore Ravens -3.5 (-111)
• Las Vegas Raiders +3.5 (-108)

Baltimore Ravens vs Las Vegas Raiders odds are via BetOnline Sportsbook as of Monday, September 13, 2021 at 1:17 p.m. ET. Want to see betting odds from several top online sportsbooks for the day’s other NFL matchups? Check out our NFL odds.

Baltimore Ravens vs Las Vegas Raiders NFL Betting Consensus

Moneyline

• 100% Baltimore Ravens
• 0% Las Vegas Raiders

Total (at O/U 50.5)

• 40% OVER 50.5
• 60% UNDER 50.5

Spread (at -/+4)

• 100% Baltimore Ravens
• 0% Las Vegas Raiders

Baltimore Ravens vs Las Vegas Raiders Betting Outlook

Per the intro, Baltimore has to be excited for a game that matters. No team suffered more drastic injuries than the Ravens during the preseason. They were primarily to the offensive backfield, with J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards both going down for the season.

With a new crop of running backs, it now might be less realistic for the Ravens to follow through with their hopes of having Jackson run less. But they also want him to throw more, and the investment they made in the passing game is even more critical now. With Jackson still running plenty, the Ravens will still pick up a lot of yards on the ground, but the injuries to Dobbins and Edwards may force more balance out of necessity.

The loss of CB Marcus Peters also hampers Baltimore’s defense. He is a quality corner and one that can get his hands on the ball too. Creating turnovers is key even though the Ravens should be solid overall defensively without him. Baltimore has plenty of excuses to get off to a sluggish start in Week 1 based on their injuries. But if they do, they will already be a game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers, who stole a road win at Buffalo yesterday.

Gruden Needs a Good Start

The Raiders finished last season 8-8, but they keep falling apart in the second half. They kind of get a mulligan for last year with the transition to a new city and COVID, which is why they need a good start this season. QB Derek Carr is good enough, and TE Darren Waller is one of the best at his position. In classic Raiders fashion, they have lots of speed at wide receiver. The offense should be able to have success tonight and throughout the season.

On defense, the Raiders have more question marks. Some questionable drafting has this team pretty thin, and they have not been able to develop a difference-making defender since they traded away Khalil Mack. This defense is likely to be starting two rookies in the secondary. We won’t know whether this unit is terrible or better than expected until we see it on the field.

NFL Betting Trends to Consider for Baltimore Ravens vs. Las Vegas Raiders

• Ravens are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite.
• Ravens are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 1.
• Ravens are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
• Raiders are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 Monday games.
• Raiders are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 1.
• Raiders are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games on grass.

Baltimore Ravens vs Las Vegas Raiders Best Bets

Over 50

A lot of the games from the opening week were pretty high-scoring. Baltimore’s lack of running back depth might impact their explosiveness a little, but it does not change the fact that the Raiders are a poor defensive team or that most teams just aren’t ready for lots of hitting early in the season. Plus I think the Raiders will be able to sneak a receiver deep a couple of times in this one. They might not have consistent offense tonight, but they can bust a few big plays.

Prop Watch: Lamar Jackson Over 210.5 Passing Yards (-110)

This is an especially good play if you think the Raiders push the Ravens and they need to play some catch-up. I like it because all offseason long these running quarterbacks focus on staying in the pocket to throw and the coaches all game plan for them to do so. Yes, Jackson is going to have some games where he throws for 125 yards, but runners like Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray cruised over their totals already this week. Jackson should do the same.

Score Prediction:

Baltimore Ravens 33, Las Vegas Raiders 28