Ravens Heavily Favored To Beat Raiders

Pundits like the Baltimore Ravens to earn their first win of the season this week.

Sep 13, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins (90) during the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

With some time to regroup after another heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens look to bounce back when they host the Las Vegas Raiders in their first home game of the season on Sunday.

The Raiders, who lost their season opener to the Los Angeles Chargers last week, are a significantly more manageable opponent for the Ravens, but it still won't be a walk in the park. Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby presents a massive challenge for a shaky offensive line, and wide receivers Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers can do a ton of damage with the ball in their hands.

That said, the Ravens are the much better team on paper, and the predictions reflect that. The team's site rounded up predictions from 53 pundits across nine different outlets, and every last one of them picked Baltimore to win.

The only difference between those predictions is the margin of victory for Baltimore. Most pundits seemed to predict a comfortable win of at least two scores, usually pointing to the Ravens' potent rushing attack against a suspect rushing defense.

“The Raiders got destroyed by the Chargers' rushing attack, and they now face a more dangerous one against Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry," wrote Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer, who predicted a 26-14 Ravens win. "The Ravens had a mini-bye to rest up and rev up their defense to rebound vs. a hot and cold Gardner Minshew and an inconsistent running game. Baltimore flexes a bit, leaving Las Vegas in further freefall.”

On the other hand, a few pundits predict a closer game, with the Ravens just eeking out their first win of the season.

“Not ruling anything out — especially after last week's shocker in Cincinnati — but Gardner Minshew and Co. will have to play a near-perfect game in Baltimore for Vegas to hit snake eyes on the season,” wrote NFL.com's Ali Bhanpuri, who predicted a 23-18 Ravens win.

As of Friday morning, the Ravens are nine-point favorites and the biggest favorites of Week 2. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET from M&T Bank Stadium.

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