Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins NFL Picks & Odds

Written October 17, 2008 by Jason Lowry

In Week 7 NFL action the Baltimore Ravens (2-3) will try and snap a 3 game losing streak, when they head down south to take on the Miami Dolphins (2-3). Last week many thought the Ravens defense was going to keep the Colts in check, and they would be able to run all over them, but the exact opposite happened as the Colts took home a 31-3 win. As for the Dolphins they nearly won their 3rd straight game, but wound up losing a close one 28-29 to the Texans. With the Dolphins playing much better football coming into this one, the oddsmakers have Miami 3 point favorites over Baltimore at BetUS.com

The Ravens come into this one really struggling to put points on the board as they have scored just 33 points in their last 3 games, and most recently their 3 point showing against the Colts. For an offense that once ranked near the top in rushing now just averages 79.8 yards a game, and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco continues his struggles as he now has just 1 touchdown to 7 interceptions, after throwing 3 big interceptions against the Colts. It looks as though when the running game struggles to get it going Flacco just doesn’t have it in him yet to lead this team by airing it out. Facing one of the best defenses in the NFL this weekend is not going to make things easy on the road for the Ravens.

Quick Payouts and Big Bonuses at JustBet!

The Ravens defense was suppose to have the weapons to keep the Colts from moving the ball at will but that was not the case as the Colts did pretty much whatever they wanted against the Ravens. Now the Ravens defense gets a little easier matchup facing the Dolphins this week, but with all the different formations they throw at you, its hard telling if even the Ravens will have what it takes to slow down this offense. While we think this one will be a battle from start to finish, if you think the Ravens have enough to win or keep it within 3, Bet Ravens +3 at Bookmaker.com

Now getting to that Miami offense that had really turned it on since beating up on the Patriots 3 games ago, they did have a little tougher time getting Ronnie Brown going last week, as he managed just 50 yards on 13 carries, but was able to find the endzone for the 4th straight game. Quarterback Chad Pennington continues to look good in a Dolphins uniform, as he threw for 284 yards and 2 scores on 19 of 25 passing. Look for the Dolphins to pull out all the stop this week and not only use the funky formations but maybe even more trick plays to put points on the board. Last week the Dolphins used a combo of that when Ronnie Brown took the snap handed it off to Ricky Williams, who then tossed it to Pennington, who hit Patrick Cobbs for a 53 yard score. Also worth noting is Williams had his first touchdown since 2005.

As for the Dolphins defense, they still come holding teams to the 2nd fewest yards on the season, even though they allowed the Texans to gain nearly 500 yards of total offense last week. So there is plenty of hope that the defense will play better, and what better team to play than the Ravens who look lost on the offensive side of things over the last few games. The only way we see the Dolphins blowing this one out, is if they can create turnovers and keep the Ravens from getting the ground game going. Bet Dolphins -3 at BetUS.com

If you want some help on who to put your money on this weekend, check out who professional handicapper Jason Lowry has picked in his weekly college and NFL picks packages.