Quick – which NFL team has an active win streak well into double digits?
It’s the Baltimore Ravens, who posted their 22nd consecutive exhibition victory Sunday night, a 24-17 victory at the Arizona Cardinals.
Here’s everything you need from a betting perspective on the Ravens’ exhibition season prowess, with insights from our betting expert (all NFL odds via FOX Bet).
SUNDAY’S RESULT
Ravens 24, Cardinals 17
Point spread: Ravens (-5) cover by winning by more than 5 points (7)
Moneyline: Ravens win as -227 favorites (bet $10 to win $14.41 total); Cardinals were +175 underdogs (bet $10 to win $27.50 total)
Total scoring over/under: Over 37 points scored by both teams combined (41)
Baltimore last lost an exhibition game on Sept. 3, 2015, a 20-19 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons as the Ravens finished the preseason with three consecutive losses to fall to 1-3.
Ponder this: Two days after that loss, Lamar Jackson made his debut for the Louisville Cardinals as a true freshman in a 31-24 loss to the then-No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs. Jackson was 9-for-20 passing (45%) for 100 yards and had 16 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. Jackson did not play against the Cardinals.
The Green Bay Packers (1959-62) had the previous record with 19 consecutive exhibition victories. The Buffalo Bills have the second-longest active preseason win streak (nine games).
Of course, NFL exhibition wins don’t mean much as teams are in pursuit of the ultimate goal, the Super Bowl.
The Harlem Globetrotters won 8,829 games in a row (streak ended in 1995 with a loss to a Kareem’s All-Stars team that had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) but didn’t win a Super Bowl, either.
RAVENS’ ODDS FOR 2022 SEASON (via FOX Bet) *
Ravens win AFC North Division: +145 (bet $10 to win $24.50 total)
Ravens win AFC: +800 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Ravens win Super Bowl LVII: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Lamar Jackson wins MVP: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
J.K. Dobbins wins MVP: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)
Mark Andrews wins MVP: +40000 (bet $10 to win $4,010 total)
Lamar Jackson wins Offensive Player of Year: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
J.K. Dobbins wins Offensive Player of Year: +6600 (bet $10 to win $670 total)
Mark Andrews wins Offensive Player of Year: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Lamar Jackson leads NFL in interceptions thrown: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Lamar Jackson rushings yards over/under 925.5
Over (-110): Bet $10 to win $19.09 total
Under (-110): Bet $10 to win $19.09 total
= as of 8/21/2022
Isaiah Likely records eight receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown in Ravens’ 24-17 victory over Cardinals
Isaiah Likely was the standout in the Baltimore Ravens’ 24-17 defeat of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL Preseason. He finished with eight receptions, 100 yards and a TD. Tyler Huntley was 13-of-14 for 129 yards and a TD.
The Ravens are 20-2 against the spread (ATS) in that stretch.
The two times Baltimore hasn’t covered the spread came in 2018 – a 17-16 win over the Chicago Bears as a 2.5-point favorite on Aug. 2 in the Hall of Fame Game and a 20-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts as 1.5-point favorites on Aug. 20.
FOX Bet senior trader Tieme Wesselink said FOX Bet boosted the odds last week for the Ravens to go undefeated this preseason from +250 to +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total).
“This four times your money boost looks real good with the first win in the bag,” Wesselink said.
“With the streak on the line, we expect the Ravens to be a slight 1.5-point favorite away against the Commanders (next week). It is just difficult to see them as an underdog even when they are on the road. We expect them to continue their perfect run for another year.”
Yet, any football fan will tell you that you can’t read too much into the NFL preseason.
Only two teams have gone undefeated in the exhibition season, then won the Super Bowl that season – the 2003 New England Patriots and 2013 Seattle Seahawks.
On the other hand, the Los Angeles Rams went 0-3 during the 2021 exhibition season, then went on to win Super Bowl LVI.
To further muddle the value of going undefeated in the preseason, the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns went 4-0 in the exhibition season, then finished 0-16.
BetMGM data analyst John Ewing said the Ravens have the highest handle (14.7%) among AFC teams to win the Super Bowl and the highest handle (38.2%) to win the AFC North.
So, are you betting on Baltimore to extend the streak to 23 games? If so, head over to FOX Bet for all your NFL wagers.
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