Ravens vs Broncos Betting Line

Published on January 8th, 2013 1:14 am EST
Can the Baltimore Ravens keep Ray Lewis' dream of one last run to the Super Bowl alive this weekend when they do battle with the heavily favored Denver Broncos, or will Peyton Manning and the Broncos continue to add to their already impressive winning streak?

When the Denver Broncos won the Peyton Manning sweepstakes in the offseason, most expected that they would be considerably improved over last year. However, nobody expected the Broncos to finish the season with a record of 13-3-0 and 11 straight wins. After a shaky start to the season, Peyton Manning and the Broncos suddenly clicked, and the team reeled off 11 straight wins. This surge earned the team a first round bye in the playoffs and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Baltimore Ravens, on the other hand, finished the season with a record of 10-6-0, which was good enough to claim the AFC North division. The Ravens easily handled the Cincinnati Bengals this past weekend in what was Ray Lewis' last ever home game. The Ravens will now travel to Denver in the hopes of making another AFC Championship game.

The Broncos will be led by Peyton Manning and his incredibly effective handling of the Broncos' offense. Manning, who will likely win the MVP award this season, finished the season with 4,659 yards through the air, 37 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. Manning threw for a touchdown in every one of the Broncos' games this year, and threw for 3 TDs in 9 of the Broncos' 16 games. That's impressive.

The Broncos' defense can't be overlooked. The team allowed just 18.1 points per game this season, which was the fourth best total in the NFL. Only one team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, gave up less yards per game than the Broncos this season.

The Baltimore Ravens, on the other hand, didn't post their typical strong defensive numbers this past season. However, the team battled through a number of injuries to key players, including the likes of Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs.

If the Ravens have any chance of winning this weekend, Joe Flacco will need to have one of the biggest games of his career. Can he outduel Peyton Manning in such a big game? We'll see this weekend.

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Here are the current betting odds for the Ravens vs Broncos game this Saturday:

Baltimore Ravens, +10, -125
Denver Broncos, -10, +105

As you can see, the Broncos are 10 point favorites heading into Sunday. The Broncos not only have home field advantage (Denver is not exactly an easy place to play this time of year), but they also have the benefit of having rested for an entire week.

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