Late for Work: Ravens' Super Bowl Odds Take a…

Ravens’ Super Bowl Odds Take a Hit, and There’s New Betting Favorite in AFC North

The Ravens entered the season with the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl and as the favorites to finish first in the AFC North.

Neither is still the case following the Ravens’ upset loss to the New Orleans Saints in their home opener this past Sunday.

The Los Angeles Rams (1-1) remain the favorites to win the Super Bowl at +650, per BetMGM. The Ravens (1-1) fell to third at +1000 after being leap-frogged by the Buffalo Bills (+750), who are off to a 2-0 start and have the No. 1 scoring offense.

The good news for the Ravens – and the Rams as well – is that teams that started 1-1 went on to win the Super Bowl six times in the past 10 years, including the past three, The Athletic’s Scott Phillips noted.

“Even with the puzzling regular season loss, the Ravens and Lamar Jackson remain a major threat,” Phillips wrote.

Phillips added that “it would also be foolish to count out the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals if quarterback Joe Burrow remains in form.” Burrow is dealing with a back issue but played (and won) Sunday against the Houston Texans’ tough defense.

Despite having the eight-best odds to win the Super Bowl at +1800, the Bengals have supplanted the Ravens as favorites to capture the AFC North title.

With a revamped defense that is No. 10 in fewest points allowed to go along with the No. 8 scoring offense, Cincinnati is at +105 to win the division. The Ravens are at +115.

Pundit Identifies Surprising Jackson Trend, Says It’s Sustainable

ESPN asked its NFL Nation reporters to identify a surprising early trend for the team they cover and size up whether it is likely to continue over the rest of the season.

Jamison Hensley said the surprise for the Ravens is that Jackson leads the league with 10 yards per pass attempt, and he thinks it’s sustainable.

“One of the buzz words for new Ravens Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle is explosiveness,” Hensley wrote. “So, it’s not a surprise that Jackson tops the league with an average of 10 yards per attempt. He has completed four passes of 40 yards or longer, connecting with Zay Flowers (twice), Chris Moore and Devontez Walker. The QB is far ahead of last season’s pace, when he totaled six passes of 40 yards or longer in 10 games.”

Marvin Lewis Weighs in on How Ravens Can Stop Squandering Leads

Despite a fresh start with a new coaching staff, the Ravens’ disturbing trend of squandering double-digit leads continued with the 24-17 loss to the Saints.

Former Ravens defensive coordinator and Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said it’s on the Ravens’ top defensive players to prevent it from happening again.

“It changes [by] those exceptional players making game-changing plays, game-closing plays,” Lewis said on “Glenn Clark Radio.”

Lewis talked about how players that he coached in Baltimore such as Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Ed Reed regularly made plays to close out games.

“My theory of the National Football League, your great players have to play great in order for you to win,”  Lewis said. “And I think when you look back at that game last week in New Orleans, they had some opportunities that some of those guys may have failed a touch. But yet they are pros, and they’re good pros and prideful pros, and I would expect them to atone for that and get back on track.”

To Lewis’ point, the Ravens have the players to get it done. However, a player trying to do too much could be part of the problem.

“For me, I am focused on creating a mentality and continuing to create a mentality that we play our style in those big moments,” Head Coach Jesse Minter said on Monday. “I felt like guys start pressing a little bit, and you start trying to make plays, and you are searching for that big play in those key moments.

“I have said this a bunch — in reality, it is your identity as a player [that] needs to show up in those crunch-time situations. You don’t have to go be somebody else. You don’t have to go out of the scheme or out of sorts from a play-caller standpoint and from a player standpoint. I think that is what we will keep searching [for].”

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