The Baltimore Ravens visit the Washington Commanders during Week 2 of the NFL preseason in what's expected to be a tightly contested affair. Here are our Ravens vs. Commanders predictions based on the best NFL odds from our best sports betting apps.
Baltimore puts its 24-game preseason winning streak on the line Monday when it visits the Commanders in Washington. The Ravens' offense will be looking to continue to mesh under new coordinator Todd Monken, who takes over for Greg Roman after an underwhelming 2022 campaign.
Monken has plenty of talent to work with this season, and some of it is sure to be featured on Monday. Rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers continues to captivate fans with his dominance in practice, and he'll look to make a bigger impact in this contest after a quiet Week 1 preseason performance.
Wi ll the Ravens make it 25 in a row, or will the Commanders finally beat the streak?
Here is our best Ravens vs. Commanders prediction (odds via our best NFL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Ravens vs. Commanders prediction
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The Ravens are set to turn to their third- and fourth-string quarterbacks in their Week 2 preseason affair with the Commanders. Head coach John Harbaugh said Josh Johnson and Anthony Brown will play a half each after second-string signal-caller Tyler Huntley missed practice all week with a hamstring injury. However, I still like the total package the Ravens offer in this game.
Baltimore held the Philadelphia Eagles to just 19 points in Week 1, limiting the running back trio of Rashaad Penny, D'Andre Swift, and Trey Sermon to 79 yards on 20 carries. Throughout the Ravens' outrageous 24-game preseason winning streak, it's been the defense that's carried the load. Baltimore has allowed just 280 points in those contests, an average of only 11.67 per game.
Now, most of those numbers barely matter, as the streak dates back to 2016. However, it's indicative of the intensity Ravens players perform with during the preseason.
In reality, there's very little real data to reference for preseason action. So, let's turn our attention to some of the narratives surrounding this game. Perhaps the most headline-catching story is the ascension of rookie wideout Flowers. He's reportedly impressed teammates throughout training camp, and he was most recently seen torching Commanders defensive backs in joint practice thi s week.
Flowers could emerge as Lamar Jackson's No. 1 target this season despite the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. and the continued growth of Rashod Bateman, who enters his third season in the NFL. I expect Flowers to expand upon his quiet Week 1 showing and make at least a couple of plays that show up all over your social media feeds.
Meanwhile, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera named Sam Howell the team's starting quarterback following his impressive performance in Week 1. Howell went 9-for-12 for 77 yards and a touchdown, and he's been showing off his mobility and awareness throughout practice this week.
Washington's offense could be much improved in 2023 with the introduction of Eric Bieniemy as the coordinator. However, the Commanders struggled to run the ball efficiently in their Week 1 win over the Cleveland Browns, so it'll be interesting to see how they respon d with Bieniemy coming from the dynamic Kansas City Chiefs pass-first offense.
In the end, it's the Ravens' energy and effort that has me most intrigued in backing them to cover the spread. It's a team that enters the season with Super Bowl aspirations, so every player will be fighting to make the roster of a championship contender. On the other hand, the Commanders are more or less trying to discover their identity with a new, young quarterback.
As the spread at our best sports betting sites suggests, it should be a tightly contested game, but the Ravens will make it 25 in a row with a fairly comfortable victory.
Ravens vs. Commanders best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -1 (-110) | -1.5 (-110) | -1 (-110) | -1 (-110) | -1 (-110) |
BetRivers' -104 price on -1.5 is the only one among those at our best sportsbooks that is better than Pinnacle's number (-109).
Four of our five listed sportsbooks have the spread set at an even -1, which is tempting given the fact that the Ravens won their last game by just a single point. However, I prefer getting the longer odds and sacrificing the half-point of safety.
Ravens vs. Commanders odds
Ravens vs. Commanders odds analysis
This opened with the Ravens at -3.5 before moving to -4.5 at most of our best sportsbooks. However, the news of Huntley's absence likely played a major role in the spread moving in Washington's favor, and, as previously mentioned, the Ravens are only 1-point favorites.
The total opened at 38.5 at the majority of our best sportsbooks and has moved slightly, ranging from 37.5 to that opening number.
Ravens vs. Commanders game info
- Date: Monday, Aug. 21, 8 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
- Location: FedEx Field, Landover, MD
- Weather: 90 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation, 5-mph winds
Ravens-Commanders picks made 8/20/2023 at 1 p.m. ET
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