Baltimore Ravens: Predictions For Final Three Games Of October

One week after dropping a heartbreaker at home to the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, the Baltimore Ravens rebounded with a 19-17 home victory against the Cincinnati Bengals to move into sole possession of first in the AFC North.

John Harbaugh’s squad is just a few bounces away from being 5-0, but at the same time, Baltimore simply hasn’t played their best football through five weeks. Of course, they could be in worse positions than 3-2.

Justin Tucker booted the game-winning 43-yarder as time expired to lift the Ravens past the reigning AFC champions. To make matters greater, all three of Baltimore’s AFC North division rivals (the Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers) lost in Week 4.

There is some hope among officials that the state of Maryland will launch sports betting before the end of 2022. Residents of The Old Line State will be able to place wagers through top apps such as the FanDuel Maryland sportsbook, which is expected to offer new customers a risk-free bet of up to $1,000 upon signing up.

At FanDuel, the Ravens are the -210 favorites to win the AFC North. On top of that, quarterback Lamar Jackson has the third-best league MVP odds at +550. He trails only Josh Allen of the Bills (+175) and Patrick Mahomees of the Kansas City Chiefs (+400).

With five weeks in the book, let’s dive into the previews and predictions for Baltimore’s last three games of the month.

Week 6 (at New York Giants)

At the start of the 2022 season, this looked like one of the easier games on Baltimore’s schedule.

But the Giants have been football’s biggest surprise through five weeks. Led by a rejuvenated Saquon Barkley, a stingy defense and first-year head coach Brian Daboll, New York sits at 4-1 through five weeks.

New York is coming off a thrilling 27-22 comeback win over Aaron Rodgers and the powerhouse Green Bay Packers in London. They’re one of four teams in the NFC (along with the 5-0 Philadelphia Eagles, 4-1 Dallas Cowboys and 4-1 Minnesota Vikings) with at least four wins heading into Week 6.

This is a matchup that simply favors the Ravens in multiple ways. As good as the Giants’ defense has been, they’ve struggled considerably against the run (131.6 yards allowed per game).

Though the Giants boast football’s second-best rushing offense, the Ravens rank a respectable 12th against the run (108 yards allowed per game).

Baltimore’s opportunistic defense should manage to force a couple of game-changing turnovers off of Daniel Jones. Jackson and the Ravens’ potent ground game will take care off the rest as Baltimore moves to 5-1.

Prediction: Ravens 24, Giants 20

Week 7 (vs. Cleveland Browns)

The Ravens will return home for a showdown against another AFC North rival in the Browns, who enter Week 6 with a 2-3 record.

Cleveland’s key to victory here will be the ground game. They lead the NFL in rushing, having racked up 192.4 yards on the ground per game through five contests. Nick Chubb leads the NFL in rushing with 593 yards, with the aforementioned Barkley just behind him at 533 yards.

Harbaugh and the Ravens will be too well prepared for Cleveland’s rushing game. Expect Baltimore to stack the box aplenty, and to dare Jacoby Brissett to win the game with his farm.

Cleveland’s struggles against the run (138.2 yards per game, fifth-most in the league) will make things even more challenging. The Ravens roll to a third straight W.

Prediction: Ravens 31, Browns 16

Week 8 (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

The Ravens will face old nemesis Tom Brady, this time as a member of the Buccaneers, for likely the last time ever on Thursday Night Football.

There are a lot of intriguing matchups in this game. Tampa Bay’s usually stingy run defense (first in 2019 and 2020, third in 2021) surprisingly ranks in the middle of the pack. Also, how will Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters hold up against the Bucs’ dangerous pass-catching duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin?

Baltimore has traditionally given Brady a lot of fits (five interceptions and 17 sacks in eight regular season meetings). Ronnie Stanley’s return on the o-line only bodes well for Baltimore’s rushing offense, and they should do more than enough to wear down a vulnerable Bucs’ front seven.

The Ravens beat Brady and the Bucs and close out October on a four-game winning streak.

Prediction: Ravens 30, Buccaneers 23

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