Ravens Can Earn A Rest With Triumph over Bills

Football Betting Lines

12/29/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens are already division champions, but have more to gain this Sunday when they close out their regular season against the visiting Buffalo Bills.

The Ravens will head into the playoffs as winners of the AFC North Division, but could make their drive to the Super Bowl a little bit easier with a win this week and some help from the competition.

Baltimore can clinch homefield advantage throughout the conference playoffs with a win over the Bills and a San Diego loss to Arizona. The Ravens can also seal up a first-round bye with either a win or a loss by Indianapolis against Miami.

The Ravens were in postseason form last Sunday in Pittsburgh, as they rolled to a 31-7 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers. The victory moved Baltimore into the second seed in the AFC, and also officially eliminated Pittsburgh from postseason contention.

Meanwhile, Buffalo was eliminated from the playoff race after last Sunday's close loss to the visiting Tennessee Titans. Tennessee edged Buffalo, 30-29, behind a strong all-around performance from rookie quarterback Vince Young.

For the Bills, it's the seventh consecutive season that they will not be partaking in the playoffs,

SERIES HISTORY

Baltimore and Buffalo have split a pair of all-time meetings, with the Bills winning 13-10 on the road in 1999 and the Ravens scoring a 20-6 victory at M&T Bank Stadium in 2004.

Ravens head coach Brian Billick is 1-1 in his career against Buffalo. The Bills' Dick Jauron is 0-1 against Baltimore as a head coach, as his Bears dropped a 17-6 decision in Baltimore in 2001.

BILLS OFFENSE VS. RAVENS DEFENSE

J.P. Losman has had a solid overall season as the Bills quarterback, but struggled a bit in last Sunday's game against the Titans. Losman (2,814 yards, 18 TD, 12 INT) threw for 266 yards and a touchdown in the loss, but also tossed a pair of costly interceptions. It was the third time this season that Losman was picked off multiple times in a game. Peerless Price (45 catches, 377 yards, 3 TD) led the way with seven catches for 73 yards versus Tennessee, while fellow wideout Lee Evans (75 catches, 1,147 yards, 7 TD) hauled in five balls for 64 yards and a touchdown. Evans has caught a TD pass in three consecutive games. Overall this season, Buffalo is rated 29th in the NFL in passing offense with an average of 167 yards per game.

The Ravens defense has been one of the best in the NFL over the past several years, so it's not surprising that the club has the top overall rated unit in the league this season. As far as passing defense is concerned, Baltimore is sixth in the NFL with an average of 186.5 passing yards per game. Last week, the Ravens made things extremely difficult for Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers' passing attack. Roethlisberger threw for 156 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked five times and intercepted twice. Baltimore's pass rush has been excellent all year long, and the team is second in the NFL with 57 sacks this season. The Ravens are also first in the NFL with a plus-15 mark in takeaways. Rookie strong safety Dawan Landry (64 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 INT) posted a sack and also intercepted a pass against the Steelers, and Pro Bowl free safety Ed Reed (55 tackles, 5 INT) notched the other pick.

On the whole, the Bills rushing offense has been disappointing this season, as the team is ranked 27th in the NFL with an average of 100.9 yards on the ground per game. Buffalo running back Willis McGahee is on his way to a third straight 1,000-yard season, but is going to fall well short of the 1,247 rushing yards he posted last year. McGahee (967 yards, 6 TD) notched 95 yards and a TD on 22 carries last week against the Titans, and is now just 33 yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard plateau. Veteran running back Anthony Thomas (375 yards, 2 TD) has done a serviceable job as the second option behind McGahee this year, but gained seven yards on just one attempt against the Titans.

As good as the Ravens passing defense has been this year, the team's ability to stop the run has been even more impressive. Baltimore is the second-best run-stopping team in the NFL with a stingy 78.3 yards surrendered on the ground every week. The Steelers certainly found running the ball difficult against the Ravens, as they gained just 63 yards on the ground in the blowout loss. Rookie defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (31 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) posted six tackles to help anchor Baltimore's front four. Pro Bowl outside linebacker Adalius Thomas (81 tackles, 11 sacks, 1 INT) added five stops, and middle linebacker Ray Lewis (95 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 INT) pitched in with five tackles.

RAVENS OFFENSE VS. BILLS DEFENSE

Steve McNair's handling of the offense has made the Ravens a much better team this season, and the club should be very happy about the mileage it's getting out of the veteran quarterback in his first year with his new club. The longtime Tennessee Titans quarterback has started all 15 games this year and has contributed greatly to Baltimore's 12 victories. McNair (2,834 yards, 16 TD, 11 INT) had a up-and-down day last week against the Steelers, as he threw for 256 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Mark Clayton (65 catches, 913 yards, 5 TD) was the leading receiver against Pittsburgh, hauling in seven balls for 108 yards and a touchdown. Clayton's 35-yard touchdown was the first score of the game and helped spur Baltimore to the easy victory. Todd Heap (68 catches, 705 yards, 6 TD) also added four catches for 50 yards, while fellow tight end Daniel Wilcox (20 catches, 166 yards, 3 TD) and backup wideout Demetrius Williams (20 catches, 381 yards, 2 TD) each posted a touchdown. Baltimore is 11th in the NFL in passing offense this season, with an average of 214.6 yards per contest.

Buffalo has a solid passing defense this year and one of the main reasons for that has been the team's ability to get to the opposing quarterback. The Bills are tied for fourth in the NFL with 40 sacks, and are seventh overall in passing defense with just 186.9 yards allowed through the air each week. Last week, Buffalo was only able to sack the elusive Young once, and that allowed the rising star to complete 13-of-20 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Defensive end Aaron Schobel (52 tackles, 14 sacks) posted the lone sack for the Bills. Schobel is second in the NFL with 14 sacks on the season. Strong safety Donte Whitner (94 tackles, 1 INT) was everywhere in the secondary for Buffalo, as he ended the game with a team-high 14 tackles. Cornerback Nate Clements (68 tackles, 3 INT) added five stops in the losing effort.

The Ravens haven't run the ball as well as they would've liked this year, and are rated 25th in the NFL with 101.7 rushing yards per game. They were right around that average last Sunday against Pittsburgh, gaining 103 yards on the ground. Veteran running back Jamal Lewis (1,063 yards, 9 TD) led the way with 77 yards and a touchdown on 24 attempts. Lewis is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry this season, but is over the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth time in his career. Fullback Ovie Mughelli (46 yards) had a nice day against the Steelers, as he posted 21 yards on four carries. As for the quarterback, McNair isn't quite the scrambler he used to be, and only has 109 yards on the ground this entire season.

The Bills defense has struggled mightily at defending the run this season and that was certainly the case in their most recent outing against the Titans. Buffalo surrendered a whopping 215 yards on the ground last week, and is now ranked 29th in the NFL with 142.9 rushing yards surrendered per contest. The Titans average 5.4 yards per carry against Buffalo, and ex-Bill Travis Henry did most of the damage with 135 yards on 25 attempts. Young also created havoc with 61 yards and a touchdown on eight scrambles. Linebackers London Fletcher- Baker (138 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 INT) and Keith Ellison (57 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) had very busy days with seven tackles apiece. Defensive end Ryan Denney (50 tackles, 6 sacks) led the front four with six stops, while veteran tackle Larry Tripplett (32 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks) added three tackles.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The fact that Baltimore still has something to play for should make this an open and shut case for the home team. For the most part, the Ravens have feasted on inferior opposition this year and should put a sour ending on already disappointing season for Buffalo. McGahee and the Bills rushing attack won't hold up against the Ravens' ferocious run-stoppers, and that should make things extra difficult for Losman and Buffalo's passing game. Expect a defensive touchdown and an easy win for the Ravens.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Ravens 27, Bills 10