Baltimore Ravens at Las Vegas Raiders Betting Preview
13 September 2021

Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season wraps up with a fun matchup set to take place on Monday Night Football. The Las Vegas Raiders host the Baltimore Ravens, and this will be the first time fans can attend a game at Allegiant Stadium.
Baltimore has been on the cusp of winning a Super Bowl over the last few seasons, and they should be in the hunt again. The Ravens do play in a tough AFC North Division, but they are one of the more talented teams.
Las Vegas is going to have to play extremely well if they want to keep pace in the AFC West Division. The Raiders have hovered around the .500 mark, but playing this game at home is a big advantage.
The Baltimore Ravens are 4.5-point favorites over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.
Ravens Want to Run
Few teams in the NFL run the ball as much as the Baltimore Ravens, and they are going to use that same strategy this season. The problem for the Ravens is that they have been hit hard by injuries, and only a few options remain.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is one of the best players in the NFL, and he is able to beat teams in a variety of ways. Jackson will have the full attention of the Raiders in this one, but that doesn’t mean that he can be stopped.
The Baltimore defense hasn’t gotten a ton of credit recently, but this unit should be terrific as well. Baltimore is going to make life difficult on Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders in this game.
Carr Must Carry Raiders
If the Raiders are going to become a playoff contender this season, then it is going to take a big season from quarterback Derek Carr. Carr is a player that is capable of putting up some monster numbers, but he doesn’t always lead his team to a ton of victories.
Running back Josh Jacobs is questionable for this game, and that would be a huge blow to the Raiders. Kenyan Drake is a very capable backup running back, but the Raiders need their star running back to be on the field for this game.
It has been the defense that has really been a problem for Las Vegas over the last few years. This team does have some big hitters that play physically, but they just continue to give up too many points.
Ravens Roll Over Raiders
Missing a number of running backs is going to make things challenging for the Ravens, but quarterback Lamar Jackson can still make things happen with his legs. Baltimore is a tough team to defend, and the Raiders are not known to be a great defensive team.
Las Vegas is hoping that quarterback Derek Carr can lead them to plenty of points on offense, but he is a player that can make mistakes. The Raiders should get a huge boost from the home crowd on Monday night, but that won’t last into the second half.
Baltimore is going to take control of this game late and run their way to a win. Bet the Baltimore Ravens -4.5 as they roll to a double-digit road victory to kick off the 2021 season.
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