Russell Street Report Street Talk Ravens to Corral Broncos in Baltimore

The Denver Broncos have squeaked by with two close home victories. While the Ravens started with a bang by absolutely dismantling the Buffalo Bills, they of course fell short on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Top betting sites have the Baltimore Ravens as 5-point favorites at M&T Bank Stadium. You should check this Bookmaker review to see if they have what you’re looking for in an online sportsbook, as they are currently down to 4.5-point spread (it’s likely to get lower) which is better for Ravens fans than five-points.

Are The Broncos Good Enough to Challenge on the Road?

Raiders fans have to be disappointed … It looked like the Silver and Black were going to hold the Broncos just out of field goal range and get the win. But the football gods hate the Raiders, and Tim Patrick gets his 1st and only reception of the afternoon, slips a couple of tackles and picks up 26 yards to move the Broncos from the 45 to the 19 for an easy chip-shot field goal that goes through the uprights with just six seconds left to play in the game.

Case Keenum engineered a great final drive, but the Raiders were controlling that game, despite the close score. The Broncos got away lucky in Week 2. Their Week 1 bout against former AFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, was a different story. They were playing with the lead and held off the Seahawks in the 4th quarter. But if there is one thing that can be said about the NFL, it’s that luck won’t carry you far (unless you’re the Colts, where Andrew Luck carries the franchise).

Matchup Stats Say: Probably Not

It’s still a small sample size, but the Broncos seem to be out-gunned and outclassed heading into Baltimore. The Ravens are averaging 35 points per game and allowing just 18.5, while the Broncos are scoring 23.5 and allowing 21.50.

Case Keenum is going to run into trouble. The Broncs have put up an admirable 270 passing yards per game, but the Ravens are only allowing 167.5. What is even more concerning for Denver fans, and should have Ravens fans champing at the bit, is the fact that Denver defense has been giving up 261.5 passing yards per game, while Joe Flacco and company have dropped 305 per game on opponents thus far.

The Denver secondary has been proven to have some soft spots, and that is something that Willie Snead, Michael Crabtree, and John Brown will take advantage of. The passing game could end up a one-sided affair, as the Ravens have the 7th-best passing offense and 3rd best passing defense in the league right now.

Two things that the Broncos have been doing well is running the ball and stopping the run. They are 2nd overall in rushing yards and 6th in rushing yards allowed. The Ravens have been effective enough running the ball to keep defenses honest, but they haven’t been pounding the rock. With Von Miller rushing the edge and Brandon Marshall and Todd Davis roaming the line of scrimmage, we shouldn’t expect the Ravens to put up more than average rushing yards. That said, the Broncos haven’t met a defense as stout as Baltimore’s yet, so we shouldn’t expect them to put up 150 yards on the ground as they did against the Raiders and Seahawks.

This game will come down to passing and creating turnovers, both of which the Ravens do better than Denver.

Take the Ravens to win for your survivor pools and to cover the 4.5-point spread.