The Baltimore Ravens are coming off an emotional victory against the Kansas City Chiefs and head to Ford Field to take on the Detroit Lions in Week 3 of the NFL season.
The Lions are winless to start the year and oddsmakers expect that to continue with NFL betting odds installing Detroit as an 8.5-point home underdog.
Here are our best free Ravens vs. Lions picks and predictions for Sunday, September 26, with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.
Ravens vs Lions odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The line for this contest opened with the Ravens at -7.5 and the Over/Under at 49. With money coming in on the favorites and the Over, the line has since shifted to -8.5 with the total ticking up to 50.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full NFL odds before placing your bets.
Ravens vs Lions predictions
Picks made on 9/24/2021 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for NFL Week 3, here are two of the best welcome bonuses available:
USA: Risk-free bet up to $5,000 plus get a free NFL jersey at Caesars. Claim Now
Canada: Get up to $500 in free bets at Sports Interaction. Claim Now
Ravens vs Lions game info
• Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
• Date: Sunday, September 26, 2021
• Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS
Ravens at Lions betting preview
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NFL weather info.
Key injuries
Ravens: Ronnie Stanley OT (Out), Tyre Phillips G (Out), J.K. Dobbins RB (Out), Justise Hill RB (Out), Gus Edwards RB (Out), Nick Boyle TE (Out), Miles Boykin WR (Out), Rashod Bateman WR (Out), Derek Wolfe DE (Out).
Lions: Trey Flowers LB (Out), Jeff Okudah CB (Out), Taylor Decker OT (Out), Da'Shawn Hand DL (Out), Jamie Collins LB (Out).
Find our latest NFL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Ravens are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games as a favorite. Find more NFL betting trends for Ravens vs. Lions.
Ravens vs Lions predictions
Baltimore -8.5 (-110)
The Detroit Lions entered this season looking like one of the worst squads in the NFL and they've done nothing to dissuade that notion. They were blown out in the first half of their Week 1 matchup with the 49ers before falling flat during the second half of last week's contest against the Packers.
The Ravens finally got the monkey off their back on Sunday Night Football last week, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time during the Lamar Jackson era.
The Ravens fought back to win 36-35 and Jackson played a key role, overcoming a pair of early interceptions to rush for 107 yards and two scores. Jackson missed practice on Thursday but reports indicate that it was just a stomach bug and he should be good to go on Sunday.
That's good news for the Ravens, who are already dealing with plenty of injuries, and bad news for the Lions, who have one of the worst defenses in the league. With Jackson at the helm, the Ravens are third in the league in total offense with 443.5 yards per game while ranking first in rushing with a whopping 220 yards per game on 5.9 yards per carry.
The Lions were last in the league in defensive DVOA last season and don't look any better this year after surrendering 41 points in Week 1 and 35 points in Week 2.
Jackson is such a threat on the ground and in the air that it takes a strong defense to contain him and the Lions haven't been able to get opponents off the field on third downs.
While Detroit's offense has shown the ability to move the ball at times, they don't have the outside weapons or the consistency to get into a track meet with more talented teams. Take the Ravens to win and cover.
Over 50 (-110)
Baltimore lost their top three running backs to season-ending injuries, but thanks to Jackson and former undrafted free agent Ty'Son Williams, they don't appear to be missing a beat on that side of the ball. The same can't be said for a defense that lost lockdown cornerback Marcus Peters to a torn ACL and has two other corners in Jimmy Smith and Tavon Young listed as questionable for Sunday.
The Ravens are allowing a league-high 376 passing yards per game, and while there is no shame in letting Patrick Mahomes and KC torch you through the air, surrendering 435 passing yards to Derek Carr is a troubling sign.
The Lions might have the worst wide receiver corps in the league, but new QB Jared Goff has looked sharp at times and is fast building a rapport with tight end T.J. Hockenson and running back D'Andre Swift. Goff still seems prone to turning the ball over at the worst times, but he's always been solid when he has time to throw, and Baltimore's pass rush seems to have taken a major step back after letting Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue walk in the offseason.
If the Ravens defense is bad, the Lions defense is abysmal. Detroit ranked dead-last in the league with 32.4 points per game allowed in 2020 and didn't really do anything to improve in the offseason. It's surrendering a league-worst 10.2 yards per pass attempt this year and has allowed touchdowns on all six of its opponents' trips into the red zone.
With the Lions going 13-3 O/U in their last 16 games at home, back the Over on Sunday.
T.J. Hockenson Catches Over 5.5 (-120)
Hockenson has emerged as Goff's favorite option, being targeted 20 times through the first two games of the season. The tight end had eight catches for 66 yards on Monday after snagging eight catches for 97 yards in Week 1.
The Ravens have struggled to contain tight ends this year, surrendering 10 catches and 105 yards to Darren Waller in Week 1 before Chiefs TE Travis Kelce burned them for seven catches and 109 yards last week.
Expect Hockenson to continue getting plenty of looks in the passing game and take the Over 5.5 on his receptions total.
Where can I bet on the NFL?
You can bet on NFL odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NFL moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals, and a ton of NFL prop odds. Head over to our best football betting sites for the top spots to bet on NFL odds in your area.
