Monday night football betting makes its return in Week 13 with an AFC matchup that doesn’t look all that enticing. The struggling Houston Texans will make the journey to Maryland to take on the struggling Baltimore Ravens. Neither team has had the season they were hoping for with the Ravens being out of playoff contention for all intents and purposes and the Texans dealing with a devastating injury to rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson. Let’s take a look at what kind of turnout gambling websites are predicting for this upcoming Monday night’s match.
Betting Houston
The Texans enter this Week 12 matchup sporting a 4-6 record that ranks them 3rd in the AFC South behind the 7-3 Jacksonville Jaguars and the 6-4 Tennessee Titans. Had sportsbook US players tried to tell their friends that the AFC South would be led by the Titans and the Jaguars, they would’ve found out that not too many people would have believed this. Nevertheless, this is the reality we find ourselves situated in. Considering that Houston will be without Deshaun Watson, the man who carved up Alabama’s fearsome defense in the last two NCAA championship games, gambling websites are likely to side against the Texans heavily this upcoming Monday night.
Last season, after benching Brock Osweiler in favor of Tom Savage, the Texans had to bring Osweiler back into the starting lineup after Savage went down with injury. This year, Savage was on the opposite side of the flip as the veteran was benched early on in the season in favor of Watson. Now that Watson is out for the remainder of the season with an ACL tear, Savage will be in the starting lineup until the season concludes.
Betting Baltimore
The Ravens fly into this AFC matchup flashing a 5-5 record that ranks the franchise 2nd in the AFC North. Technically, Baltimore still has a slim chance of usurping the 8-2 Steelers at the top of the North. But considering the kind of season both teams have been having; the Ravens being extremely inconsistent and Pittsburgh being one of the winningest teams in pro football, that chance seems to slim to bet on. The Ravens are coming off a 23-0 win over the Green Bay Packers that allowed this team to return to .500 on the season once again.
Like so many other teams in the NFL, Baltimore has undoubtedly become one dimensional and it’s not much of a mystery as to where the Ravens’ strength lies. Baltimore ranks 18th in points scored per game, penultimate in total offense, dead last in passing, and 13th in rushing. On the defensive side of things it’s a completely different story as Baltimore ranks 3rd in the league in points allowed per game, 6th in total defense, 2nd against the pass and 26th against the run. If the Ravens can keep those kind of numbers on defense through the remainder of the year, the franchise might just be able to finish strong enough to earn a Wild Card berth into the playoffs. Players looking for some late-season sports betting tips should consider betting on Baltimore as the 2017 regular season inches closer to its finale.
Gambling Websites’ Lines & Odds:
Houston Texans +7 (-105) 38 (-108) +274
Baltimore Ravens -7 (-115) 38 (-112) -340
