ExtremeRavens Posted 23 hours ago Posted 23 hours ago The Ravens’ season came to a disappointing end Sunday, as they fell to the Buffalo Bills, 27-25. The playoff loss featured significant heartbreak, as the usually reliable Mark Andrews fumbled and dropped a 2-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter. Baltimore fans and star quarterback Lamar Jackson won’t be pleased with the final outcome, as anything short of a Super Bowl is largely considered a failure for a team with an NFL Most Valuable Player-caliber quarterback. As the Ravens regroup after a devastating playoff exit, let’s take a glance at a few betting stats that help explain the Ravens’ many successes and painful failures: Two losses as a big favorite While Andrews and others will receive blame for Sunday’s loss to the Bills, the Ravens should be kicking themselves for September and October mistakes. Baltimore was an 8 1/2-point home favorite in Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Ravens held a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. Baltimore squandered the game by giving up 13 straight points, eventually losing by a field goal in its home opener. On Oct. 27, the Ravens visited the Cleveland Browns and struggled to slow down Jameis Winston. A 29-24 loss was easily avoidable, especially with Baltimore opening the game as a 7-point favorite against a lowly opponent. Losing two games as a touchdown favorite might not seem correlated to Baltimore’s AFC divisional round loss, but the Ravens finished one game behind the Bills in the AFC standings despite a head-to-head victory. Even if Buffalo won in Week 18 in an alternate universe — the Bills lost to the subpar Patriots when resting many of their best players — the Ravens could have secured the AFC’s No. 2 seed and home-field advantage against the Bills simply by avoiding sloppy losses to the Browns and Raiders. Those teams went 7-27 this year. The Bills are now 10-0 at home this season and 5-4 on the road, including a 35-10 loss to Baltimore in Week 4. Speaking of alternate realities, playing in Baltimore could have been the difference between a playoff win or loss. Buffalo and Kansas City both went undefeated this season when favored by a touchdown or more. Baltimore’s two losses when favored by at least a touchdown are more than the Bills, Chiefs, Commanders and Eagles have combined (one) this season. The NFL’s best typically handle teams competing for draft positioning. Favored in 18 games This won’t calm the frustrations of Ravens fans, but betting oddsmakers loved Baltimore. The Ravens were favored in every game this season, except when it was about a field-goal underdog in Week 1 against the Chiefs. Power ratings and advanced analytics, including DVOA, considered the Ravens the best team in the NFL by season’s end. FanDuel’s hypothetical odds available before Sunday’s game with the Bills had the Ravens as a road favorite against the Chiefs in the AFC championship game, had they advanced. If Baltimore had advanced to the Super Bowl, it would’ve been favored to beat either the Eagles or the Commanders. The Ravens, on paper, were as dangerous as any team in the NFL. Turnovers were the team’s undoing in the postseason, as Baltimore coughed the ball up three times in Sunday’s loss to the Bills. The betting markets and power rankings didn’t account for Jackson and Andrews faltering in key moments after nearly flawless seasons. That’s why they play the games. 13 regular-season overs Of Baltimore’s 17 regular-season games, 13 went over the projected point total. The stat speaks to both the Ravens’ historic offense and the defense’s struggles through Week 10. Baltimore became the first team in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 3,000 in the same season. The duo of Jackson and running back Derrick Henry delivered on preseason hype, as Jackson is on the verge of winning his third NFL MVP Award and Henry nearly topped 2,000 rushing yards in the regular season. Defensively, the Ravens improved dramatically in the final weeks of the season. Before those improvements, Ravens games were a treat to watch for unbiased observers — and over bettors. Baltimore battled the Commanders to a 30-23 win, outdueled the Buccaneers, 41-31, on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” and won a pair of shootouts (41-38 and 35-34) over the Bengals. All four of those scoring bonanzas occurred before Thanksgiving. For fans of offense, the Ravens were must-watch TV. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article Quote
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