Arizona Cardinals vs Baltimore Ravens NFL Sports Betting Guide 

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Few would have thought going into the season that this contest would become the marquee game on a full Sunday schedule. Many would have reveled in the opportunity to see Lamar Jackson square off against Kyler Murray, but few, if any could have envisioned a 13 point spread. Both of these teams are vastly different units than the ones that took the field just last season. With new additions on both sides of the ball, they will be looking to improve upon their 2018 campaigns. These two teams rarely play each other and have not met since 2015. Enjoy the battle between these two teams and quarterbacks because they may not meet again for another several years.

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Details

• Opening Lines: The contest opened with a spread of 13.5 points and an over/under total of 42.5. Both numbers have seen movement as the spread has dropped to -13 for Baltimore. The over/under total has jumped from 42.5 all the way to 46.5. The movement on the total suggests the sharps and early bettors all believed the over presented a tremendous value.
• Current Line: Baltimore -13
• O/U: 46.5
• Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
• Start Time: 1:00 PM EST, Sunday, September 15th
• Last Meeting: Arizona defeated Baltimore 26 -18 – October 26, 2015

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Overview

Stylistically, this matchup between Lamar Jackson’s Ravens and Kyler Murray’s Cardinals has the chance to be one of the most exciting of the season. The Baltimore Ravens looked incredible in Week 1. They set a new franchise record with 59 points and looked like one of the most explosive offenses in the league in the process. However, it should be noted that they were facing the depth-tanking Miami Dolphins. Their rookie receivers accounted for three touchdowns, while offseason free-agent addition Mark Ingram added two rushing touchdowns of his own.

The Ravens will have a much tougher test against the Arizona Cardinals, at least on paper. The Ravens lost stud linebacker C.J. Mosley and former Pro Bowl edge rusher Terrell Suggs to free agency. They also saw Za’Darius Smith and Eric Weddle find new homes. The Ravens already had in-house replacements for their linebacking group, and they added to it with edge rusher Jaylon Ferguson. The Ravens even upgraded on Eric Weddle with Earl Thomas. On offense, the Ravens added former Pro Bowl running back Mark Ingram, first-round pick Marquise Brown, third-round rookie receiver Miles Boykin, and fourth-round running back Justice Hill. The Ravens finished 2018 with a 10-6 record and have the schedule to improve upon that mark in 2019.

Arizona had an up-and-down Week 1. They struggled for three quarters before seeing things click in the fourth. The Cardinals finished the 2018 season with a 3-13 record and landed the first overall pick. Upon hiring Kliff Kingsbury as their new coach, rumors immediately started swirling that the team would select Kyler Murray with the first overall pick. This was unprecedented, as the Cardinals would become the first team to select a quarterback in the first round in back-to-back years. Fast forward to the 2019 NFL Draft, and Kingsbury would pair his new rookie signal-caller with Andy Isabella, Hakeem Butler, KeeSean Johnson and tight end Caleb Wilson in the second, fourth, sixth and seventh rounds respectively.

On defense, the Cardinals are missing All-Pro Patrick Peterson due to a suspension. Chandler Jones is still a force on the edge and veteran Jordan Hicks provides some stability to the linebacker corps. Terrell Suggs provides another talented veteran piece at outside linebacker. Arizona is starting two rookies on defense in defensive end Zach Allen and cornerback Byron Murphy. Both are strong talents, but they could be targeted by a Ravens team looking for opportunities to exploit. Kingsbury showed off his familiarity with the college ranks and hit home runs on both sides of the ball during the 2019 NFL Draft. Arizona struggled through the first three-quarters of their season opener against the Detroit Lions. However, in the fourth quarter, the light appeared to switch on for Kyler Murray. He no longer looked overmatched and went 15-19 for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the frame. 

Trends

• The visiting team is 4-0 ATS in the last four contests between these two teams. 
• The underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last six contests between these two teams. 
• Arizona is 5-1 ATS in their last six road contests against teams with winning home records.
• Arizona is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 Week 2 contests. 
• Arizona is 1-7 ATS in their last eight contests played after passing for 250 yards or more in their previous contest. 
• Baltimore is 4-1 ATS in their last five September contests. 
• Baltimore is 5-2 ATS in their last seven contests following a win. 
• Baltimore is 5-2 ATS in their last seven Week 2 contests. 
• Baltimore is 1-6 ATS in their last seven home contests. 
• Baltimore is 1-7 ATS in their last eight home contests against teams with losing home records. 
• Over is 5-2 in Arizona’s last seven road contests. 
• Over is 8-3 in Arizona’s last 11 road contests against teams with winning records. 
• Under is 6-1 in Arizona’s last seven September contests. 
• Under is 7-1 in Arizona’s last eight Week 2 contests. 
• Under is 7-3 in Baltimore’s last 10 contests against teams with losing records. 
• Under is 5-1 in Baltimore’s last six contests after allowing 15 points or less in their previous contest. 

Prop Bets

Baltimore 1st Half -7.5 (-113)
While seven points even would be a more favorable spread, the likelihood of a backdoor cover in the second half makes the full game spread a perilous play at best. First half lines often present the most value, and that seems to be the case here. The Cardinals will be facing a much tougher test than the one they faced with the Lions last week, and they are projected to be down by at least 10 heading into the half. Baltimore scored 42 of their 59 Week 1 points in the first half. Arizona scored 24 of their 27 Week 1 points after the first half. The Baltimore first half team points over 14.5 at -120 at 888Sport is also a line to strongly consider. 

Marquise Brown over 80 receiving yards (+196)
At BetOnline.ag, there are a multitude of player prop options to choose from. Over 50 yards is available at -118 and is the best value on the board. The probability the over 50 hits is much higher than the over 80. However, as Marquise “Hollywood” Brown proved in Week 1, he just needs the ball once to see 80 yards receiving. Brown can get open at will and will be facing off against an Arizona Cardinals team that is still without suspended All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson. Brown put up over 130 yards in the first quarter against the Dolphins. He played just 14 snaps and saw targets on five of his eight routes. With what is expected to be a bigger Week 2 workload, Brown could see over 140 receiving yards once again. 

Mark Ingram over 13 carries (-217)
This prop seems screams value. Mark Ingram saw only 14 carries in Week 1, but his total was largely due to gameflow. The Ravens jumped out to an early lead in a contest they won by 49 points. They led by 39 at the end of the third quarter, and so they rested their starters for much of the fourth. This meant that Gus Edwards got more work, and the two backs combined for 24 carries. Ingram should easily surpass 13 carries against a more formidable opponent. 

Bottom Line

The Baltimore Ravens look primed for an easy victory in this contest. A 13-point spread for a team with a quarterback who had his passing aptitude questioned all summer seems like a bit of a stretch. There is limited value in spreads in the double digits even when the two teams profile as one of the AFC’s best and one of the NFC’s worst. With that said, a two-touchdown victory is not out of the question for an offense and defense that looked as impressive as the Ravens did in Week 1. Kyler Murray is a wild card, but the Ravens defense practices against an elite dual-threat quarterback on a daily basis. The Ravens safeties are talented enough to help prevent Murray from connecting on more than a few deep shots. While the trends listed above are helpful guides, the truth is that these two teams are very different from their 2018 counterparts. With the spread sitting at the same vig at most major sportsbooks, shopping for juice becomes the goal. Luckily for us, PointsBet has the Ravens at even money whereas most other books have them at -110 at best. Fire up your PointsBet account and lock this one in. 

Pick: Baltimore Ravens -13 (Even) at PointsBet

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Raju Byfield is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Raju, check out his archive, and follow him @FantasyContext.