NFL Football
2011-09-18 - Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States: NFL Football Week 2
Sunday 18 September 2011 - Kick Off 1pm ET
6pm (British Standard Time)
Preview
The Baltimore Ravens (1-0) come into Week 2 with the praise of the nation ringing in their ears after they dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers in all aspects of the game. They will have to be careful they don't get ahead of themselves as the visit the Tennessee Titans (0-1).
Where to start with the Baltimore performance last week? The Offense was impressive as Joe Flacco hurt the Steelers through the air, while Ray Rice gashed them on the ground and now the Ravens can start 2-0 fo the 3rd time in 4 seasons.
That was impressive, but the Defense was immense as they recorded 4 Sacks, 3 Interceptions and recovered 4 fumbles to decimate Pittsburgh. Terrell Suggs recorded 3 of the team sacks and that has allowed him to create franchise history for most sacks by an individual player.
Flacco and Rice will both be hoping for big days against a Tennessee team that struggled in the Secondary and also gave up 163 yards to the Jaguars in Week 1. The Titans had been struggling at the back end of last season to keep teams from moving the chains on the ground and they will have real trouble stopping Rice on Sunday.
Matt Hasselbeck finished with 2 TD passes and 1 Interception in his debut for Tennessee, but it was not a good Offensive performance from the team as a whole, much of that down to the fact that Chris Johnson could not find the running room that made him such an impact player over the last few seasons.
Johnson had just 24 yards on 9 carries in Week 1, but he has averaged 114 yards per game on the ground when playing at home. If Johnson can get things going, it may open up the passing lanes for where the Titans will be able to get the ball in the hands of their other playmaker, Kenny Britt.
Britt hauled in 2 TDs in Week 1 and had 136 yards receiving as he begins to build a rapport with Hasselbeck.
Head to Head
These two franchises last met in 2009, with the Ravens coming away from Nashville with a 13-10 win.
They have split the last 6 games against one another going back to 2002, although the Titans have gone 4-2 against the spread in that time.
The underdog is now 16-5 against the spread in the last 21 games played between the franchises.
Baltimore are 7-2 against the spread in their last 9 games in Tennessee.
Tennessee are 0-1 against the spread this season, Baltimore are 1-0.
Other Interesting Notes
Tennessee are 8-2 against the spread in the last 10 games they have been set as the home underdog.
They have won their last 4 against the spread when considered the home underdog of between 3.5 and 10 points.
The Titans are 4-12 against the spread in their last 16 games against a team with a winning record.
Baltimore have won their last 4 against the spread as the road favourite.
They are 3-9 against the spread in the last 12 games as the road favourite of between 3.5 and 10 points.
They are 0-4-1 against the spread in their last 5 games following a win of 14 points or more.
The Ravens are 12-5 against the spread in their last 17 games against teams with losing records under John Harbaugh.
91% of the wagers in Vegas have landed on the road team that impressed so much last week.
Prediction
I am going to go against most of the trends I set out above and pick the Baltimore Ravens to win the game and cover the spread.
Tennessee were not expected to be a real force in their first season without Jeff Fisher, and they have a new QB learning the system having only recently deciding to come to Nashville. They were lucky to finish so close to Jacksonville in Week 1 after making some big stops, but the Ravens are a different kettle of fish altogether.
My biggest concern for the road team is that they may have a let down after such a big performance against the Steelers last week and they may allow Tennessee to stick around far more than expected.
Joe Flacco should have plenty of success as long as Ray Rice is able to get the yards on the ground that the Titans have been allowing in their recent games.
The problem for Matt Hasselbeck will be keeping up with the Ravens and I think Baltimore will be able to put enough pressure on him to grab a couple of turnovers that will eventually settle the game in our favour.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Tennessee Titans 13-24 Baltimore Ravens
