Ravens 2 1/2 Point Dogs Sunday

**TL24x7** · 09-25-2006, 03:23 PM

Given the Ravens' ability to confuse and rattle young quarterbacks (especially here in Baltimore with all the crowd noise) coupled with the Ravens ability to choke off the run, I find this line to be very surprising. Is that sucking sound I hear that of a trap? I would have thought this line would be just the opposite....Ravens by 2-3.

Thoughts???

**Ravens'N'Hoos** · 09-25-2006, 03:30 PM

Yes but let them say we're underdogs. I hope the players know and get even more fired up about it.

Vegas can put out some weird lines. Miami an 11 pt favorite yesterday? They barely won at home over the TITANS. The oddsmakers probably just saw us barely beat Cleveland, saw the Chargers have a higher point differential against their opponents than we do, and reached an immediate, premature conclusion. They don't factor in the psychological boost yesterday's win provides. That comes through loud and clear in all the player comments, especially compared to last week.

You know the cliche about young QBs that says the good ones usually have one game where the "light comes on"? Maybe, just maybe, the same is true for veteran QBs going to a new team. Maybe in the 4th Quarter (and not before), the "light came on" for McNair with this offense.

M&T will be unreal on Sunday. Coming from an emotional division win, it will be an extraordinarily treacherous environment for a young QB. Rivers will be dealing with a leap in defensive complexity akin to going straight from long division to Ph.D.-level calculus in the middle of a mosh pit at a thrash metal concert.

Reading some of the comments on Chargers boards, it doesn't look like their fans know what their team will be facing on Sunday. They barely sell out their stadium; they don't know what real home-field advantage is like. This will be a loud, tough, close game.

**Admin Steve** · 09-25-2006, 03:31 PM

Well, remember a betting line is set so that (hopefully for the bookie) an equal number of people will bet on both sides of the line, the winners are paid with the loser's money and the bookie makes his 10%.

It's not waht they think the score will be.

I have a feeling that line will move towards a pickem as the week progresses and everybody loads up on the Ravens.

**Gabrosin** · 09-25-2006, 03:38 PM

No, the bookies are seeing Shawne Merriman and Jamal Williams on one side and Tony Pashos and Mike Flynn on the other. Face it, if we slow down their pass rush and give McNair and our receivers any sort of time, they'll torch the weak San Diego secondary with deep passes over and over... or we'll see McNair broken in half by an ex-Terp. We did well against Tomlinson the last time we faced him and I expect us to bottle him up again, and I think we can give Rivers trouble as well... but if our offense can't generate points, Antonio Gates will beat us. He's ten times the threat of Kellen Winslow, and Winslow had a great day against us yesterday. No one in our secondary can cover him effectively because of his size, speed, and strength.

Being at home, I'm still going to take the Ravens with the points in this game... but I see where the bookies stand and I don't like the thought of this one at all, especially with the Panthers coming soon after.

**Greg** · 09-25-2006, 03:51 PM

Listen to the Brit, he comes from the land of legalized bookmaking.

The odds makers look at the games, then they look at the betting histories and set the line to draw an equal number of bettors to each side. The loser pays 10% juice, the only way the house can lose is if they have too much action on one side or the other. How the game comes out is of little consequence to them.

**highwater** · 09-25-2006, 03:53 PM

I'm not surprised, given how we played as fairly heavy road favorites yesterday. Lost in the excitement of the comeback is the simple fact that we played poorly most of that game against the Browns. The people who aren't Ravens fans aren't excited though, or impressed, and that drives the betting line.

I agree with Steve (or whoever that was) that the line will inch back toward the Ravens as the week goes on, but we'll probably still be underdogs. Our win was not impressive, the Chargers are coming off a bye week, and they looked very impressive in their two wins. I know they didn't play anyone, but neither have we.

**AZRAVEN** · 09-25-2006, 05:53 PM

Not really surprising with a one freakin point win over a weak Browns team.

**FadeToBlack** · 09-25-2006, 06:36 PM

I'm no betting afficianado, but isn't 3 points or less for an away team pretty much the bettors way of saying they have no freakin' idea who to pick in this game?

**52decleetzu** · 09-25-2006, 07:03 PM

The home team usually gets a 3 point bump regardless to start,so with a line of 2.5 they are basically saying that the Chargers are 5.5 points better than the Ravens.

**Mista T** · 09-25-2006, 07:57 PM

The Chargers have an offense. Makes sense to me.

**Purpleguy** · 09-25-2006, 08:02 PM

Is this game still going to be a 1:00 game? I'll be in Vegas and I don't feel like getting up to watch the game at 10:00 AM. I wouldn't think San Diego fans would want to get up that early either.

**Merlin** · 09-25-2006, 08:15 PM

Perfect set up for us

Underdogs at home even though we're undefeated? Couldn't ask for more motivation for the team.

If I'm the odds makers, I'm doing that because the Chargers have a tough defense as well and our offense hasn't shown anything yet.