Thoughts on this game? I still say no way Baltimore should have won this last year in the playoffs, so much so I have to wonder if the fix was in Line seems to be Denver -7.5 or -8 depending on where you look, with a few exceptions. That said, I've heard some pretty bold predictions as well. If memory serves, I think Chris Berman called for a 27-26 Ravens win in this one. He's probably just trying to create some hype/interest for the sake of ratings, but who knows? With Reid and Lewis gone from Baltimore and Manning having Welker as a target it's hard to see Denver not putting up a ton of points. Boldin is gone now to boot. On the other side Miller is suspended and Bailey is out, but I don't view those losses to Denver being the same as the hit Baltimore's gonna have on their lineup versus last year. Champ is getting old anyway, how many good seasons does he have left anyway? (Though I guess we could have said the same about Ray Lewis last year...) Anyway, thoughts, comments, predictions are appreciated!
I don't care about the gambling angle. I care about why the defending champion has to open on the road.
I would take Baltimore getting 7.5 honestly. Champs out and the Broncos defense isn't going to be very good. Baltimore will still be able to score points. They should be able to keep within a TD.
My favorite pick tonight is the total. I think it's going over. Champ Bailey is out. Both teams shouldn't have an issue throwing the ball.
I'm going with the over (48.5) but not touching the line. I'm thinking along the same lines as Byroan was in his post above...I'll root for the Ravens +7.5 though and that way we can both be winners!
The weather here was amazing. There's been some friction all summer about the O's not shifting their schedule to accommodate the Ravens. The stadiums are basically next door to each other so I'm assuming logistics with parking and such is the reason they can't have the two teams playing at the same time. I can imagine that the result of the game in Denver might make the friction a little worse than if the Ravens had won.
