NFL Betting – Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens
Since we didn’t get this matchup in January, I guess having last season’s Super Bowl champs and the team with the best record squaring off in an early-season battle of AFC heavyweights will have to do – for now. The marquee Week 3 matchup has the Kansas City Chiefs at the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. Garnering all the headlines to conclude the betting week are the last two NFL MVPs, and deservedly so. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson have combined to go 47-10 in their regular season starts and both are undefeated this season. Though they lost last season’s encounter, the Ravens are currently a 3.5-point favorite on the NFL betting line. Bookmaker.eu offers a generous welcome bonus (max bonus $1000)
Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens
Date and Time: Monday, September 28, 2020, 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: MT Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
NFL Odds: Ravens -3.5, O/U 54
Chiefs at Ravens TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
Both teams enter with lengthy winning strikes, though they are vastly different. Pulling out a nail-biter last week against the Chargers in overtime extended Kansas City’s streak to 11, which includes the postseason. Over that span they were given points just once. The Chiefs were laying 9.5-points to the Chargers needing a late field goal to tie and another in OT for the win. It was their first ATS loss during the current streak. The Ravens meanwhile have enjoyed all kinds of success during the regular year but crapped out in the last two postseasons. They are looking to change the narrative in that regard. Baltimore trashed Houston, 33-16, easily covering the 7.5-point line for their 14th straight regular season victory. They have six straight covers in regular season games and are 11-2-1 ATS during their streak. KC won last year’s meeting 33-28 at home covering the 4.5-point spread.
Kansas City Chiefs
Even when they don’t play their best the Chiefs find a way to win. Facing a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start, they started sluggishly and by all accounts should have lost the game. Justin Herbert found out he was starting right before kickoff and had the Bolts in front 17-6 early in the third quarter. Like good teams do the Chiefs stiffened allowing the Magic Man to complete the comeback. It doesn’t really matter how you get them as long as you get them.
Mahomes wasn’t his best early on throwing for only 60 yards in the first half and the Chiefs were lucky to be trailing 14-6 after getting outgained 301-137. Never count the Chiefs out of a game with Mahomes behind center. He finished 27 of 47 for 302 yards. His second touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion tied the game early in the fourth. He got the team in field goal range for the tying kick at the end of regulation and the winning boot with under two minutes left in OT. Including last year’s playoffs, Mahomes has won six straight games when trailing by double digits.
“This wasn’t a thing of beauty, but there are going to be times like this where things aren’t working and you have to be aggressive. Our defense put the hammer down to give us a chance to win,” Andy Reid said. The Chiefs haven’t hit their stride offensively ranking 10th in points and 13th in yards, and it might be tough to crack Baltimore’s stingy defense.
Baltimore Ravens
The postseason can’t get here soon enough. Since taking over as the starter midway through the 2018 season the Ravens are 21-3 with Jackson behind center. The success hasn’t carried over to the playoffs, though. While this is only a Week 3 regular season contest, it does have a little playoff feel to it with both clubs among the favorites to win the AFC.
On paper Baltimore matches up well with the Chiefs. Jackson is on the same plane as Mahomes and picked up right where he left off last year. He’s completing over 77 percent of his passes for 479 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. The Ravens battered teams on the ground last year averaging 206 yards per game. Last week they gouged Houston for 230 yards with all four players who ran the ball getting at least 48 yards.
Containing Deshaun Watson was a point of emphasis last week and it worked. Watson threw for 275 yards but was sacked four times and incepted once. The defense will have to come up with another gem against Mahomes, which hasn’t been easy. Last year Mahomes had 374 pass yards and three TDs and the Chiefs totaled 503 yards in their 33-28 victory.
Bet Chiefs at Ravens at BookMaker.eu
If anything it should be a good game. KC has won the last two by a combined eight points and I anticipate another close one. The Ravens are stronger defensively and Jackson is a nightmare for any defense, but 3.5 points is a lot with two closely-matched clubs. And never underestimate the ability of Mahomes to engineer a comeback.
NFL Score Prediction: Chiefs 34, Ravens 31
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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com
