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The Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals will square off in NFL Preseason action on Sunday, featuring two exciting offenses. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NFL preseason odds series, which includes our Ravens-Cardinals prediction and pick we have laid out below.
The Baltimore Ravens suffered through a rare down season in 2021, missing the playoffs with an 8-9 record. Lamar Jackson missed five games, and the team struggled to replace one of the game's most electrifying talents. Still, the roster construction is in place to dominate, even with the loss of Marquise Brown.
Arizona came under some heat this season when they inserted some questionable stipulations into Kyler Murray's contract extension. Still, Murray is locked up long-term and has one of the game's better receivers in DeAndre Hopkins to look for.
Here are the Ravens-Cardinals NFL Preseason odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Preseason Odds: Ravens-Cardinals Odds
Baltimore Ravens: -5.5 (-110)
Arizona Cardinals: +5.5 (-110)
Over: 38.5 (-110)
Under: 38.5 (-110)
Why The Ravens Could Cover The Spread
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Pretty simple logic here, but as long as Lamar Jackson is on this team, they will have a legitimate shot to win just about every game they play in. Jackson is electric with his arm and his legs, combining for 18 touchdowns in his 12 games last season, and was the team's leading rusher with 767 yards. If Jackson can stay healthy, there is no reason why this team cannot put up double-digit wins. JK Dobbins and Justice Hill look to take over the running back duties in 2022. Tight end Mark Andrews is back after leading the team with 107 catches, 1,361 receiving yards, and 9 touchdowns. Rashod Bateman will likely see a larger role than his rookie season with Brown no longer residing in Baltimore.
Baltimore's team identity has always been their stellar defense, although 2021 was a bit of a down year for that group. The group surrendered 23.1 points per game, the 19th rank in the NFL. Baltimore intercepted just 9 passes in 2021, and are in desperate need of playmakers in the secondary, adding Kyle Fuller in the offseason, who brings 19 career picks with him. Marcus Peters totaled four interceptions last season and will pair with Fuller to be the ballhawks of the secondary.
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
Arizona also possesses one of the game's most exciting quarterbacks in Kyler Murray. Thankfully for Arizona fans, Murray chose the NFL over a baseball career, and has done nothing but impress in Arizona. Arizona went 11-6, in part thanks to Murray's 29 touchdowns in 14 games. Murray threw for over 3,700 yards in 2021, helping the offense score 26.4 points per game. Oh yeah, did we mention that Marquise Brown now plays for this team? Well, he does. Brown and Murray, former teammates at Oklahoma, reunite in Arizona. That, combined with DeAndre Hopkins, will prove a problem for opposing secondaries. Oh yeah, Zach Ertz will be playing his first full season in Arizona as well. Murray will have his weapons fully deployed around the field. James Conner, now in his second season with the team, scored an insane 18 touchdowns in just 15 games last season.
Arizona's defense is also pretty solid, allowing just 21.5 points per game to opponents in 2021. The team totaled 41 sacks and 13 interceptions last season. This group should get even stronger now that J.J. Watt is hopefully fully healthy for his second season with the team. Markus Golden, last season's leading sack artist with 11, is also back with the club.
Final Ravens-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
Call this the Marquise Brown revenge game.
Final Ravens-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Arizona +5.5 (-110), over 38.5 (-110)
