Ravens vs. Buccaneers prediction: NFL odds, picks, best bets for ‘MNF’

The first game of Monday night’s NFL doubleheader includes a pair of 4-2 teams sitting in first place of their respective divisions.

The seasons haven’t been flawless for the Ravens (who lost their first two games before rebounding with four consecutive victories) and Buccaneers (who laid an egg in an inexplicable home loss to Denver in Week 3), but they both represent two of the better teams in their respective conferences.

The inter-conference matchup is expected to be a close affair, as oddsmakers have staked Baltimore as a 3.5-point road favorite. The 50-point total is one of the highest of Week 7.

Here’s a preview of the matchup with a pick on the spread and the over/under.

Ravens vs. Buccaneers odds

Ravens vs. Buccaneers spread

After Baltimore opened as a five-point favorite, the spread dropped to 3.5 points, still in favor of the Ravens. Baltimore is 3-2-1 against the spread (ATS), while the Bucs are 4-2 ATS.

Among the Ravens’ losses to begin the season included a road matchup with the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs and a home game against the now-2-4 Raiders.

However, they have since rattled off four consecutive wins, including two gritty three-point road decisions against the Cowboys and Bengals — the latter a high-scoring, overtime thriller.

The Ravens look like the best team in the AFC at the moment, and they now face a Tampa Bay defense that has been solid overall but has the fifth-lowest-graded run defense in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.

Through the first six games of the season, the Bucs are allowing 4.7 yards per rush, the ninth-most in the league.

Plus, the Bucs’ massive 51-point outing against New Orleans looks drastically less impressive now after Denver’s poor offense posted 33 points and nearly 400 yards of total offense on it this past Thursday.

We’d love to see this spread at a clean three points but have no problem laying 3.5 with the league’s best offense in a favorable matchup.

Pick: Ravens -3.5 (-110, DraftKings)

Ravens vs. Buccaneers point total

The point total opened at 46 but has since shot up to as high as 50.

Baltimore has an Over record of 5-1, as its defense has been overvalued for most of the season, while Tampa Bay has exceeded the point total in four of its six games.

Both offenses are firing on all cylinders, combining to average 73.3 points per game in their past three outings.

Betting on the NFL?

This line might be more appropriate if Baltimore’s defense (23rd in opponent points per game, 16th in opponent yards per game) had played up to its expectations through the first third of the season, but it hasn’t.

Ultimately, neither defense has a chance at stopping these high-octane offenses, so expect another big score in this game.

Pick: Over 49 points (-130, bet365)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Andrew Norton handicaps the NBA, WNBA, NFL, college basketball and football, UFC and golf. During the 2022-23 NBA season, he achieved a standout 14.1% ROI, cashing 60% of his NBA spread picks and leading Tallysight in its SportsIQ metric.