Bills vs. Ravens: Betting preview, odds, and prediction

Football fans could be in for an AFC Championship preview tonight when the Baltimore Ravens host the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Sunday Night Football. The Bills come into the game undefeated at 3-0, but the 1-2 Ravens opened as a 3-point favorite.

There isn't much history between these two teams. Tonight's game will be No. 12 (10 regular season games and one postseason). Buffalo won the last two, but the Ravens lead the all-time series 6-5. Find the most competitive odds and betting lines with the top Michigan sportsbooks.

Baltimore's offense looks as explosive as ever, with Lamar Jackson behind center again. But while the Ravens rank No. 1 in the league with 400+ yards of offense a game, they rank No. 11 in scoring (23.7 ppg). However, while Buffalo ranks No. 13 in total offense, the Bills have the No. 1 scoring offense (37.3 ppg).

Good team gone bad If you were to just look at the stat sheets for the Ravens, you'd think they had been dominating the league for the first three weeks of the season. But instead, they are 1-2. What in the world is going on? How does a team with such an explosive offense lose more than it wins?

The defense is part of the issue. It hasn't been terrible, but it would be generous to call it 'good.' Heading into tonight's game, the defense ranks No. 23 in total defense (341.7 ypg allowed) and No. 24 in scoring (26ppg allowed).

But for a team that averaged 28+ ppg last season, that shouldn't be an issue. So, what is? The fourth quarter.

The Ravens were a toe away from an incredible fourth-quarter comeback in Week 1. But they were outscored 13-0 in the fourth quarter in the loss to the Raiders in Week 2. Dallas nearly completed a fourth-quarter comeback last week when they outscored the Ravens 19-0 in the quarter.

For some reason, the Ravens have been careless and sloppy in the fourth quarter, leading to costly mental mistakes, penalties- and losses.

Bills vs. Ravens betting odds In Week 2, the Ravens ended losing by three to the Raiders. Last week, they ended up winning by three points after the furious comeback by the Cowboys failed. Assuming they could win or lose by three points again, the 2.5-point spread doesn't help. But the moneyline is worth consideration.

The moneyline opened at +130 for the Bills. Bettors can now get Buffalo's moneyline for +120 at BetMGM and DraftKings Sportsbook . After opening at -155, the Ravens can be found listed at -136 at FanDuel Sportsbook .

Bettors at BetMGM Sportsbook appear to be getting behind the Bills to win with 69% of tickets and 57% of the handle on Buffalo, although it is unclear if the numbers refer to just spread bets, moneyline wager, or both. Bettors can find the spread at most major Michigan sportsbooks (if not all) at +2.5 for the Bills.

Who are the 2024 Buffalo Bills? What in the world happened in Weeks 1 and 2? The Bills ran more than they passed. While they ultimately won the game, and that's what matters, it wasn't the same brand of football fans have come to know and love. Were they planning on changing the team's identity and becoming a run-first squad?

But then we add Week 3 to the picture.

Against the Jaguars, the offensive play calling was balanced with 31 pass plays called relative to 29 rushing. Allen had a solid day, completing 23-30 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns. As icing on the cake, they got 122 yards and two touchdowns out of the run game.

Bills vs. Ravens Prop Bets (odds via FanDuel)

Week 3 was Allen's first with over 21.5 completions this season; he went over that number in nine regular-season games last year. Every opposing quarterback has had at least 20 completions vs. the Ravens defense.

Flowers appears to have become Lamar Jackon's favorite. The Ravens quarterback has targeted him a team-high 25 times, and he pulled down 16 for 148 yards and a touchdown. He only had three last week vs. Dallas. But the Ravens didn't throw much because they didn't need to. This week, they will need to throw more.

Bills vs. Ravens Prediction We expect this game to look like every other Ravens game this season. But rather than wait until the final quarter, the Bills will take over the game in the second half and go on to win.

Our Prediction: Bills ML