AFC Divisional Round: Titans vs. Ravens Preview

• The Baltimore Ravens had the highest-scoring offense in the NFL averaging 33.2 points per game.
• The Tennessee Titans have an 8-3 record with Ryan Tannehill as their starting quarterback.
• The Ravens are currently riding a 12-game winning streak.

BALTIMORE – No team has figured out a way to stop the Baltimore Ravens this season as they’ve coasted to a 14-2 regular-season record which earned them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Their offense, led by NFL MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson, was atop the league in points scored (531) and rushing yards per game (206).

No team has been able to stop the Ravens heading into the playoffs and they’ll host another team who down the stretch of the regular season has been playing its best football in the Tennessee Titans. The Titans since naming Ryan Tannehill the starting quarterback have been a completely different team, finishing with a 7-3 record to finish the season which allowed them to squeak into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed with a 9-7 record.

The Titans are battle-tested as their last two games were against the Houston Texans (to clinch a playoff berth) and New England Patriots who were the defending Super Bowl champions. If the Titans are going to pull off the upset, they’ll have to continue to lean on the NFL’s regular-season rushing leader Derrick Henry to keep the chains moving.

This will be the first meeting between these two AFC teams this season and the Ravens are 10-point favorites to beat the Titans according to USA Sportsbooks.

Taking the Ravens ATS for this matchup should serve well as the Titans defense is good but may struggle to try to contain the Ravens passing offense which should allow the Ravens to cover comfortably. A win would place the Ravens in their fifth ever AFC Championship Game with a chance to make it to the franchises' third-ever Super Bowl on the line.

Both teams rely heavily on the run and that’s why it might be best to take the Under here. Although the total for this game is set at 47, the Titans will try to control the clock and keep the Ravens offense off the field. This spells well for taking the Under. Bettors should prepare for the Ravens defense to keep Derrick Henry from breaking off big gains on the ground.

Player Prop Bets

An intriguing Player Prop bet offered at Bovada for this playoff game will be taking the odds-on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson to have 280+ passing yards, 24+ completions, and a Ravens Win. The +1000 odds on this are a great value bet that could provide a profitable return.

The Titians pass defense gave up over 4,000 yards through the air this season and with much of their defense focused on stopping the run, Lamar Jackson should be able to throw his receivers open in 1v1 matchups with ease.

There’s also a profitable player prop bet on Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill too. With +2400 odds, if Tannehill throws for 275+ passing yards, 3+ touchdowns, and runs for 25+ rushing yards. Tannehill has a good chance of making this bet hit because the Titans will likely be throwing the ball more than usual.

Tennessee will be playing from behind and that bump in volume might be enough to carry Tannehill over the top in this game (although the Titans may not win).

Team Prop Bets

With so much focus on running the ball in this game, it shouldn’t surprise bettors that the first offensive play will be a pass play. The +130 odds on the first play would be a great addition to a parlay bet.

The odds for a run being the first offensive play of the game are sitting at -170. Bettors should consider taking the odds on the pass play as each coach will try to be aggressive in putting points on the board first.

Kick-off for this game will be at 8:15 p.m. EST on Saturday from M&T Bank Stadium and CBS will be broadcasting the game.