Ravens vs. Rams Week 12 NFL Monday Night Football Picks

by Alan Matthews - 11/20/2019

Well, I'm done from a betting perspective with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers for the rest of this season and probably his career - frankly, after how bad Rivers has been in back-to-back prime-time games and losses, I'm not even sure the Chargers will try and re-sign him this offseason. On Thursday in Week 10, Rivers' three interceptions and complete inability to move his team in the final minute with a full assortment of timeouts cost me a Bolts bet in Oakland. On Monday, it was largely the same thing as Rivers was picked off four more times, including in the final seconds in the Kansas City end zone, as L.A.'s season essentially ended in a 24-17 loss to the Chiefs in Mexico City.

I thought the Chargers would play with desperation, and they certainly did on defense, so took L.A. at +4.5 and over the total 52. L.A outgained the Chiefs 438-310 and held Patrick Mahomes to a career-low (in a game he finished) 182 passing yards. How do you not cover in that scenario? Whatever!

Let's hope for better luck on the other Los Angeles team this Monday as the Rams host the scorching-hot Baltimore Ravens . Suppose it could be a Super Bowl preview - Baltimore is definitely good enough to get there and is now the +450 Bovada second favorite behind New England (a team the Ravens spanked) to win it. Doubt the Rams will get back there but stranger things have happened. They are +4000.

Ravens at Rams Betting Story Lines

Look, I'm no NFL scout but thought Baltimore's Lamar Jackson would be a good pro quarterback yet probably not great because the dude is so little and was going to take a beating just like another former undersized Heisman winner named Robert Griffin III did (he's now Jackson's backup).

Well, I and all those teams that passed on Jackson in the first round of the 2018 draft were dead wrong. The guy is revolutionary. Baltimore won its sixth game in a row last Sunday, trashing a good Houston team 41-7. Jackson has become the MVP betting favorite in the wake of four touchdown passes and another 86 yards rushing - including a sick 39-yarder. The Ravens are destroying people on the ground with 2,038 yards rushing. They are the first team since 1978 with at least 2,000 rushing yards in the first 10 games of a season. Jackson has now put up at least 60 yards rushing in seven straight games, surpassing former revolutionary Michael Vick (six in 2004) for the longest such streak by a QB in league history.

Led by two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, the Rams allow only 89.1 rushing yards per game. In last Sunday's night's 17-7 home win over Chicago, the Rams held the Bears to 74 rushing yards on 24 carries and just 267 total.

Who would have thought the L.A. defense would be better than the offense this year? That's just 29 total points for Sean McVay's team in two games out of a bye week. Jared Goff wasn't very good with only 173 yards passing and a pick against the Bears, but at least McVay started using Todd Gurley more. He had 97 yards rushing and a touchdown on a season-high 25 carries while catching three passes.

L.A. is really banged up on the offensive line but Goff should see the return of big-play receiver Brandin Cooks from a concussion on Monday. He has 27 catches for 402 yards and a score in eight games. Not clear if fellow wideout Robert Woods will play. He was inactive and absent from the Bears game because of a personal matter.

Ravens at Rams Betting Odds and Trends

At 5Dimes, Baltimore is a 3-point favorite (-120) with a total of 46.5. On the moneyline, the Ravens are -170 and Rams +150. On the alternate lines, Baltimore is -2.5 (-145), -3.5 (+105) and -4 (+113). The Ravens are 3-2 against the spread on the road and 4-1 "over/under." The Rams are 3-2 ATS at home and 1-4 O/U.

Baltimore is 10-4 ATS in its past 14 on Monday and 5-2 in its previous seven vs. teams with a winning record. Los Angeles is 7-3 ATS in its past 10 after a win but 2-6-1 ATS in its previous nine on Monday. The under is 7-1 in the Ravens' past eight after allowing less than 15 points in the previous game. The under has hit in five straight Rams games. The home team is 3-1-1 ATS in the past five meetings.

Ravens at Rams Betting Prediction

This is the first-ever meeting between the Ravens and "Los Angeles" Rams because when the teams last met in 2015 - Joe Flacco and Case Keenum were the starting QBs - the Rams were still in St. Louis.

One might think I would learn from backing Los Angeles teams, but I'm surprised the Rams are getting that many points at home. The Ravens are almost due a bad game - this is the same team that was crushed at home by Cleveland. L.A. needs it much more. Take the 3.5 points and go under the total.

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Ravens vs. Rams Week 12 NFL Monday Night Football Picks

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