Detroit Lions vs. Ravens: Week Three betting odds, spread and prediction
By Bob Heyrman
The Detroit Lions will have a challenging task Sunday as they hope to avoid a dreadful 0-3 start to the regular season.
The Baltimore Ravens enter the contest with a plethora of players currently placed on the COVID-19 list. The Ravens will be without starters, Ronnie Stanley, Derek Wolfe due to injury, and Brandon Williams, Justin Houston, and Justin Madubuike, who had been starting in place of Wolfe are all on the COVID-19 list.
The most significant question mark heading into Sunday’s contest is star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson missed time this week due to a non-COVID-19 illness but returned to practice in full Friday, which puts him on pace to play Sunday. The same can be said for Marquise Brown. Despite missing time earlier in the week, Brown returned to practice in full Friday.
The Detroit Lions also enter Sunday’s matinee with plenty of injury concerns.
The Detroit Lions are already without starting corner Jeff Okudah, who is lost with a knee injury for the season. Detroit is also without rookie corner Ifeatu Melifonwu, Tyrell Williams, Da’Shawn Hand, and Kevin Strong, all of which were recently placed on injured reserve, meaning they will be out for a minimum of three weeks.
Veteran linebacker Jamie Collins Sr. will miss Week Three’s matchup as the team continues to seek a trade. This means we should expect to see an abundance of rookie linebacker Derrick Barnes from here on out. The Lions will also be without place kicker Austin Seibert.
The Lions also have a handful of starters who will carry the questionable label into Sunday’s game. Trey Flowers is battling a knee and shoulder issue, Michael Brockers has a shoulder issue, D’Andre Swift has a groin injury, and receiver/return specialist Kalif Raymond is battling a thigh injury.
Detroit Lions betting odds, spread, and prediction.
According to WynnBET, the Baltimore Ravens enter the contest as 7.5 point favorites. The Moneyline is set at +300 to the Lions and -390 to Baltimore, with the Under/Over is set at 50.5.
After watching what Aaron Rodgers did to the Detroit Lions on Monday Night, I can’t help but expect the electric Lamar Jackson to comfortably cover the -7.5 spread. Jackson and the Ravens are riding high coming off their Sunday night victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Before Sunday, Jackson had never beaten Patrick Mahomes.
The prediction: I’ve got the Ravens cruising to a 35-21 victory over the Lions.