Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Preview/Prop Picks
27 October 2022
Time: 8:15 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore 129.591; Tampa Bay 132.448
Dunkel Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 3; 49
Vegas Line & Total: Baltimore by 1 ½; 45
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+1 ½); Over
The Baltimore Ravens will face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night. The Ravens, with a record of 4-3, come into this game after being the Cleveland Browns 23-20. It’s been a fairly good season for the Ravens, who currently lead the AFC North. To keep ahold of that title, they’ll need to keep winning.
One word that many can use to describe the Buccaneers right now is dysfunctional. They’re yelling at each other on the sidelines and dropping open touchdown passes. With all of these struggles, it’s hard to see them winning this game. However, as long as you have Tom Brady, you have a chance at winning it all.
Baltimore Ravens: Injury List Continues to Pile Up
In last week’s game against the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens struggled in the first quarter. They scored only three points but followed it up with a strong second quarter. Lamar Jackson passed for just 120 yards and their win was primarily because of their running game.
This week, they’ll need to get a faster start against the Buccaneers. They’re also dealing with several injuries to key players including WR Rashod Bateman. Defensive backs Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters are also listed as questionable.
As a team, the Ravens have one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL. On average, they rush for 156.3 yards per game and score 25.9 points per game. The only problem we see is their defense allowing 23 points per game.
It hasn’t been much of an issue lately but it's definitely something to keep an eye on. They’ll need to tighten up on defense against the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Can Tampa Bay Work Out the Kinks?
One thing that we’d like to see from the Buccaneers is a little more cohesion. They’re not playing well as a team this season, boasting a 3-4 record so far. With a 1-2 record at home, they’ll have a tough time digging out of this hole.
As we mentioned above, however, they have Tom Brady. Considering how poorly last week’s game went, we’re expecting a revamped group. The team itself has a lot of talent and one of the best defenses in the NFL.
On average, the Buccaneers are allowing just 17.7 points per game. They rank fifth in the NFL in this category. We’d like to see them run the ball more though since they’re averaging just 64.4 yards per game.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Pick
This is a primetime game so we expect to see the best from each of these teams. The Baltimore Ravens, although a good team, have a lot of injured players. We expect the Buccaneers to take advantage of this and strike early and often.
Tom Brady hasn’t done his best this year but Thursday night we expect him to bounce back. Keep in mind, the Buccaneers are still one of the best passing teams in the league. It’s going to be a close call but we’ll take them over the Ravens at +1.5.
DUNKELINDEX Free Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +1.5, OVER
Prop Picks
Tampa Bay (-135) OVER 2.5 Team Total Touchdowns
Baltimore is allowing 23.0 points per game on defense this season, which ranks No. 21 in the NFL. Tampa Bay is averaging 17.7 points per game on offense, which ranks No. 26 in the NFL. That average increases to 21.3 points per game at home. Scores have gone OVER in six of the Bucs’ last eight games versus teams with a winning record.
With Dunkel predicting a Tampa Bay victory by the score of 26-23, take the Bucs (-135) to finish OVER their Vegas total of 2.5 team touchdowns versus the Ravens.
Lamar Jackson (-115) OVER 210.5 Passing Yards
Baltimore is averaging 189.7 passing yards per game on offense, which ranks No. 26 in the NFL. That average increases to 204.0 passing yards per game on the road.
With Dunkel predicting the final score going OVER the Vegas point total, take Jackson (-115) to finish OVER 210.5 passing yards against the Bucs.
See all of our Week 8 NFL Picks!
