The Baltimore Ravens (6-2) saw their Super Bowl 54 odds bump up to 9/1 after they defeated the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football.
The Ravens lead the AFC North by two games over the Big Ben-less Pittsburgh Steelers. They are also one of only five AFC teams with at least six wins, putting them in the company of the New England Patriots (8-1), Kansas City Chiefs (6-3), Houston Texans (6-3), and Buffalo Bills (6-2).
AFC SUPER BOWL ODDS:
New England Patriots 3/1
Baltimore Ravens 9/1
Kansas City Chiefs 9/1
Houston Texans 22/1
Buffalo Bills 33/1
Indianapolis Colts 40/1
According to William Hill, it looks like only three AFC teams have a fighting chance at the Super Bowl, with everyone else as a long shot. The Patriots have been the top Super Bowl favorite, or a close second, for the entire preseason and season. They’re 3/1 odds to repeat this season.
The Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs are the same odds at 9/1. KC’s odds fell off after they dropped two games in a row in Weeks 5 and 6. They sunk a little more after Patrick Mahomes went down with a dislocated knee cap. Mahomes is itching to return to the lineup, but for now, the Chiefs and Ravens were assigned similar Super Bowl odds.
L-Jax and the High-Scoring Ravens
The Ravens lead the NFL in scoring, averaging 31.4 points per game. The passing attack isn’t overly impressive, ranked #20 overall with 222.1 yards per game, but it’s a slight improvement over Jackson’s numbers in the second half of last season, with 12 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
Jackson leads the best rushing attack in the NFL, averaging 204.9 yards per game. He’s the leading rusher on the team at 79.6 yards per game. He also found the end zone six times for rushing touchdowns.
Fantasy football nerds have been loving Jackson’s production in the last couple of weeks.
According to Tristan H. Cockcroft, “In his past three games, Lamar Jackson has scored 56.9 fantasy points on rushing plays alone. During that same time span, only nine running backs have that many TOTAL points using PPR scoring — and seven of them played four games to Jackson’s three (Jackson’s bye was in Week 8).”
Over his previous three games, Jackson rushed for four touchdowns and 100-plus yards twice, including 152 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals, and 116 yards against the Seahawks in Seattle.
Let's take a 360-degree look at that TD run by @Lj_Era8.
Don't miss our next home game on Nov. 17 against the Houston Texans.
🎟: https://t.co/JJR3PYgZzM pic.twitter.com/S6fJpTCAxC
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 5, 2019
Last season with the New Orleans Saints, RB Mark Ingram had to split time with Alvin Kamara. This season with the Ravens, Ingram is the #1 running back, but he still has to play second fiddle to Jackson’s extemporaneous running attack.
Ingram scored seven touchdowns and averages 5.3 yards per carry. He generated 144 combined yards against the New England Patriots, including 115 rushing yards. Bill Belichick teams do not give up 100-plus yards to opposing running backs very often, and this year’s team is exceptionally good on defense. Yet, Ingram and Jackson inflicted serious damage on the best defense in the NFL.
On Deck: Niners, Rams, Texans Linger
The Ravens finish the season with two tough AFC North divisional games. In Week 16, they head to Cleveland to battle the Browns. In Week 17, the Ravens end the season at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is always a bare-knuckle brawl. Coach Jim Harbaugh would love to lock up a playoff berth before Week 17 so he can keep his starters from having to play smash-mouth football in December.
The Ravens have three tough games in a row against the Houston Texans (6-3), LA Rams (5-3), and San Francisco 49ers (8-0). They also have a couple of easy games against the LOLJets and winless Cincinnati Bengals.
