Tag: Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills Week 14 NFL matchup, with NFL betting odds, picks and best bets.

Winners of their last eight games, the Baltimore Ravens (10-2) will visit the surging Buffalo Bills (9-3) on Sunday afternoon. It’s a big game for both teams with the Ravens eyeing a No. 1 seed and the Bills hoping to take over the AFC East from the Patriots.

Kickoff from New Era Field will be at 1 p.m. ET.

Ravens at Bills: Week 14 preview, betting trends and notes

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  • Baltimore is 5-1 against the spread in its last six games. The only loss came last week against the 49ers when the Ravens won 20-17 but failed to cover the 6-point spread.
  • The Bills are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games, including 3-0 in their last three. They are 4-1 straight up in that stretch.
  • The Ravens are 5-3 all time against the Bills, outscoring Buffalo by an average of 22.5-14.
  • The Ravens are 4-1 ATS when facing a team with a winning record.
  • Buffalo is 5-0-1 ATS in its last six games as an underdog and 5-2 ATS against teams above .500.
  • The total has gone under in four of the Bills’ last five games.

Ravens at Bills: Key injuries

Bills T Ty Nsekhe is unlikely to play on Sunday as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.

Ravens at Bills: Odds, betting lines and prediction

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. ET

Prediction

Ravens 24, Bills 17

Moneyline (?)

The Ravens and Bills are two of the hottest teams in the league right now, but Baltimore has been steadier all season and has beaten better opponents. They’ll keep that up this week against a surprisingly tough Bills team that just beat the Cowboys in Dallas on Thanksgiving.

Bet the RAVENS (-250) to win outright despite being on the road. They have a great chance to win this game, because Buffalo’s offense will have trouble keeping up.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Ravens to win would return a profit of $4.

Against the Spread (?)

The Ravens are 5.5-point road favorites, which suggests the oddsmakers are confident that they’re the better team. Baltimore has been somewhat underwhelming against the spread (6-5-1) this season, but they’ll cover in this one.

Take the RAVENS (-5.5, -110) to cover and win by a touchdown, if not more. Unless Buffalo’s defense shuts down Lamar Jackson, the Bills won’t be able to score enough to match the Ravens.

Over/Under (?)

The over/under of 43.5 points may not seem like a high number for the league’s No. 1 scoring offense in Baltimore, but Buffalo’s defense is legit. The Ravens won’t put up 35+ like they have in four of their last five games, nor will the Bills light up the scoreboard.

Bet the UNDER 43.5 (-110) in this matchup, even as tempting as it is to take the over with the Ravens playing.

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Can Buffalo slow Baltimore’s offense and other questions for Bills Wire in Week 14

With similar makeups and two of the best mobile quarterbacks in the league, the Ravens and Bills are in for a good fight this week.

The Baltimore Ravens are on an eight-game winning streak and if they win out, they’ll be guaranteed the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture. While that might seem easy to do considering how Baltimore has played in recent weeks, they’ll get another big test in the surging Buffalo Bills in Week 14.

The Bills have been getting better as they rebuilt their roster. They even surprised many by earning a playoff berth in 2017. With their eyes on the postseason again this year, the Ravens are standing in their way and mark a chance to add a statement win to a pretty easy schedule.

To get better insight on what Buffalo has going for them and what to expect from this team this week, I say down with Bills Wire managing editor Nick Wojton to pick his brain.

1- Lamar Jackson gets all the attention but Josh Allen is no slouch when running the ball. How can the Ravens slow him down on the ground?

Like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen is tough to bring down and is an excellent runner. Why I think Jackson gets much more hype is his running style. He’s so elusive it’s amazing to watch. Allen has some wiggle, but not close to Jackson’s elusiveness. Think more, a younger Big Ben. He’s tough to take down, and if it’s not there, he’ll take off and fight his way for yards. He’s just recently started sliding more to avoid contact, which is a great sign. So to answer, slow Allen down by taking him down. Don’t let Allen escape that first tackler, who’s often on him behind the line of scrimmage.

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Bills coach Sean McDermott vs Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is key matchup in Week 14

Whether or not Bills coach Sean McDermott can concoct a plan to stop Lamar Jackson will go a long way towards deciding this week’s matchup.

If the Baltimore Ravens are to claim a ninth consecutive victory on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, it’s absolutely vital that MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson is able to continue to weave the magic that has seen him become the talk of the NFL.

Jackson is second in the league with 25 passing touchdowns, but it has been as a runner that he’s been most effective this season. Jackson leads all quarterbacks with 139 carries and 984 rushing yards, with seven rushing touchdowns to boot. Defenses have been able to hold him under 247 passing yards in each of the Ravens last eight wins. But no defense has held him to less than 61 rushing yards since Week 4.

Stopping Jackson, or at least coming up with a plan to stop Jackson, is the major goal for Bills coach Sean McDermott (not forgetting defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier).

Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Since McDermott took over the Bills prior to the 2017 season, he has succeeded in slowing down the great Tom Brady whenever the Bills have taken on the New England Patriots. Brady averages 216 passing yards, 0.6 touchdowns and one interception per game in the five games he’s played against the Bills in the last three seasons. In his other 44 games against everyone else, Brady averages 285 yards 1.9 touchdowns and only 0.5 interceptions per outing.

The methods that McDermott and Frazier have employed to slow down Brady will likely be of little use as they come up with a game plan to combat Jackson. As noted, it’s not just Jackson’s arm that Buffalo will have to defend against. Jackson has opened up rushing lanes for the running backs and passing lanes because of his own rushing ability. The Bills have yet to face a truly mobile quarterback this season but they have one of their own in Josh Allen to at least provide some experience to work from.

While Allen has quietly been one of the best mobile quarterbacks not named Jackson this season, there’s still a different level between the two. Allen has rushed 93 times for 430 yards and eight touchdowns while Jackson has put up 977 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 140 carries.

If Buffalo relies on Allen as their recipe for what a dual-threat quarterback can do, they’ll severely underestimate Jackson and this Ravens’ offense. But if they’re able to discover a piece of Jackson kryptonite, then they could go a long way towards their goal of possibly stealing the AFC East from the Patriots in 2019. It’s why, like most games this season, it’s about if a defensive coordinator or head coach can limit Jackson that ends up being the biggest key of the game.

Michael Thomas named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for November

New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas was named Offensive Player of the Month for November, along with Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson.

Big-time production warrants big-time recognition, and that’s what New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas earned after setting the league on fire in November. The NFL named Thomas as the NFC Offensive Player of the Month after posting up 37 receptions (on targets) and 415 receiving yards in the Saints’ four games, catching an otherworldly 86% of his 43 targets from quarterback Drew Brees. On the year so far, he leads the entire NFL in both receptions (11) and receiving yards (1,290).

He’s in rare company. The AFC Offensive Player of the Month is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, a sensational playmaker who’s hounding defenses through the air as well as on the ground. And Thomas will play against his NFC Defensive Player of the Month counterpart on Sunday in San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner.

Here’s the total listing of November’s Players of the Month, by position group:

  • NFC Offense: WR Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
  • NFC Defense: LB Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers
  • NFC Special Teams: KR Cordarrelle Patterson, Chicago Bears
  • AFC Offense: QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
  • D: LB T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
  • AFC Special Teams: K Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs

Thomas joins teammate Thomas Morstead as two Saints players to be recognized here this season; the Saints’ veteran punter was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September, the first such award of his long NFL career. The leadership and effectiveness of players like Thomas and Morstead have been a huge part of the Saints’ success this season, and they’ll continue to be foundational pieces for the rest of the team to build upon as they work to reach and win Super Bowl LIV.

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Ray-Ray McCloud helping Bills teammates prep for Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson… Ray-Ray McCloud… same thing?

That’s what the Buffalo Bills are hoping this week. 

Lamar Jackson… Ray-Ray McCloud… same thing?

That’s what the Buffalo Bills are hoping this week.

Ahead of their Week 14 meeting with the Baltimore Ravens, the Bills decided to use McCloud, a practice squad wide receiver, as their Jackson-clone this week in practice.

As Buffalo’s defense preps for facing the dynamic playmaker on Sunday, it wouldn’t have made much sense for back quarterbacks Matt Barkley and Davis Webb to simulate the dual-threat QB. McCloud’s got some wiggle, and he told reporters on Wednesday he actually has experience playing in a similar offense to the Ravens’ scene. Albeit was in high school.

“I ran their offense in high school, the read option,” McCloud said. “I know how he runs. I know how he moves. Some of his ways I run with dead legs, being quick, explosive. Just give them a good look.”

McCloud’s Clemson and Jackson’s Louisville faced off against one another while the two were in college, playing in the ACC. McCloud is familiar with him. That, combined with McCloud referenced past experience, make the Bills coaching staff’s decision one seem pretty smart. Or at least a creative way to find the best thing they can.

But the Bills know despite McCloud’s appreciated efforts to give him their best in-house look at Jackson, the real thing will be the real thing. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott admitted that earlier this week.

“I mean, there’s not a lot of guys on rosters around the NFL that can mimic what Lamar does,” McDermott said. “If you have them, they’re probably starting.”

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PODCAST: What will Bills have to do beat Ravens?

This Sunday has a big game feel to it. Sure, the Bills just defeated the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, with the National Spotlight firmly on them, but there is something special about this game against Baltimore.

This Sunday has a big game feel to it. Sure, the Bills just defeated the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, with the national spotlight firmly on them, but there is something special about this game against the Ravens.

How do you gameplan for a team of the caliber and level that the Ravens are playing at right now? It’s not as easy as it would seem. The Ravens offense is unique, and it’s key piece, the sophomore sensation Lamar Jackson, is having an MVP-caliber season. His speed, combined with his growing passing ability, and the offensive units ability to sell fake out plays, has stumped the best defensive coordinators across the NFL, including one of the greatest minds in pro football history, Bill Belichick.

The challenge is one that the Bills are certainly up for, and another opportunity to prove that they’re for real. The coordinators and players have their work cut out for them. In this episode, podcast hosts Matt and Jeremy examine what they believe that the Bills have to do to try and slow down one of the fastest offenses running in the NFL.

 

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49ers announcer suspended for ‘dark skin’ comments. His apology was just as bad.

Tim Ryan had a chance to make amends for his tone deaf comment about Lamar Jackson’s ‘dark skin.’ His apology shows he has learned nothing.

The San Francisco 49ers have suspended announcer Tim Ryan following comments Ryan made about Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Ryan said that Jackson had a distinct advantage on play-fakes because of his “dark skin with a dark football.”

The full quote:

“He’s really good at that fake, Lamar Jackson, but when you consider his dark skin with a dark football with a dark uniform, you could not see that thing. I mean you literally could not see when he was in and out of the mesh point and if you’re a half step slow on him in terms of your vision forget about it, he’s out of the gate.”

That’s bad. He’s disguising racist rhetoric in football wonkery, but it’s there, and not hard to see.

What’s just as concerning to me is his apology for it.

In a statement, Ryan wrote:

“I regret my choice of words in trying to describe the conditions of the game. Lamar Jackson is an MVP-caliber player and I respect him greatly. I want to sincerely apologize to him and anyone else I offended.”

First, he’s evasive. He’s sorry for “trying to describe the conditions of the game,” not for saying Jackson’s “dark skin” gives him an advantage.

Next, he points to Jackson as an “MVP-caliber player.” Which begs the question: If Jackson weren’t an MVP-caliber player, would Ryan still need to apologize? What does his level of play have to do with what Ryan said.

Finally, he ends with the classic I’m sorry to anyone I offended, i.e. it’s your fault you got upset about this.

Ryan’s original comments and apology reflect a really dangerous line of thinking that exists in many sports pundits, and especially in NFL pundits — this idea that when talking about The Game, the rest of the world ceases to matter.

Ryan wasn’t making inappopriate comments, see. He was trying to describe the conditions of the game. The game is all that matters. Skin color doesn’t mean anything on a football field, to Ryan, unless it’s the color of the football.

To do this is opaque and ridiculous. You can’t separate the football field from real life. You can’t pretend that comments made have no repercussions if you are talking about a sport.

Even in his apology, it’s all framed in the context of football. Ryan refuses to see the world any differently. Jackson deserves an apology because he’s an MVP-caliber player and has earned Ryan’s respect … not because he’s a human being.

This is tone deaf and represents a childish, stubborn way of viewing the world. It’s the same line of thinking of people who scream that they don’t want politics in football. They want an escape. They view football as their only outlet from having to think, from having to empathize, from having to understand the world we live in.

Ryan’s comments and apology shows he hasn’t learned anything. He’s just gotten upset that the real world has impinged on the football world he so cherishes.

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Ravens QB Lamar Jackson wins AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson just keeps piling up awards and records this season. He’ll have to make room on his shelf for another

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was the AFC’s best offensive player in the month of November. That’s not really a shocker since he won the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week award in three of the four weeks of the month as Baltimore rolled over quality opponents as a part of their current eight-game winning streak.

With this monthly award added to his four AFC Offensive Player of the Week awards, Jackson seems like a shoo-in for the NFL’s MVP award this season. Oddsmakers have him as the frontrunner currently and the stats back that up.

In just November’s four games, Jackson went 64-of-84 (76.19%) for 777 passing yards, 13 touchdown throws, 0 interceptions and a 143.7 passer rating. Jackson also added 300 yards and three touchdowns on the ground on 41 attempts. Keep in mind these stats are with Jackson getting pulled in the fourth quarter of blowout wins in favor of putting in the backups in three of the four games.

Jackson’s performance has been a huge reason why the Ravens currently sit at 10-2 and hold the top seed in the AFC playoff picture. They have a chance to lock themselves into the postseason and potentially as the AFC North winner in Week 14. Jackson is also on pace to beat Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for quarterbacks this week as he continues to pile up awards and records in the books this season.

49ers analyst Tim Ryan suspended after ‘dark skin’ remarks regarding Lamar Jackson

49ers radio broadcaster Tim Ryan’s comments about Lamar Jackson once again prove that little has changed regarding certain stereotypes.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had already had to deal with more than enough bias on his way to the NFL. There was of course ex-NFL general manager Bill Polian’s belief that the former Louisville star should switch to receiver, a common racial constraint for black quarterbacks that goes back decades. And there is still the perception among some that Jackson is a rudimentary “running quarterback,” despite the fact that he ranks second in the NFL in touchdown passes with 25, ranks first in touchdown pass percentage at 7.8%, ranks fourth in Adjusted Net Yards per Pass Attempt at 7.89 (tied with Wilson) and has posted two games with a perfect passer rating of 158.3 this season.

Despite all that, some people can’t get past the stereotypes. Some other people seem to be interested in creating new ones. The 49ers have suspended former NFL linebacker Tim Ryan, their radio color analyst, based on remarks Ryan made following Baltimore’s 20-17 Week 13 win over San Francisco.

“He’s really good at that fake, Lamar Jackson, but when you consider his dark skin with a dark football with a dark uniform, you could not see that thing,” Ryan said Monday on Bay Area radio station KNBR. “I mean you literally could not see when he was in and out of the mesh point and if you’re a half step slow on him in terms of your vision forget about it, he’s out of the gate.”

(Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports)

The 49ers expressed their disappointment in Ryan in the suspension announcement.

“We hold Tim to a high standard as a representative of our organization and he must be more thoughtful with his words. Tim has expressed remorse in a public statement and has also done so with us privately. We know Tim as a man of high integrity and are confident he will grow and learn from this experience.”

Ryan said this in his own statement:

“I regret my choice of words in trying to describe the conditions of the game. Lamar Jackson is an MVP-caliber player and I respect him greatly. I want to sincerely apologize to him and anyone else I offended.”

(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Per the San Francisco Chronicle, 49ers officials have reached out to the Ravens organization to apologize, and assure their opponent last Sunday that the matter is being taken seriously.

Ryan, who’s worked for the 49ers since 2014 after 13 years with FOX Sports, has no known history of public racism, which should be taken into account. He’s generally known to be one of the smarter analysts in the game. But the nonsensical nature of what Ryan said, and the complete insensitivity to the larger picture, should draw concern.

“No less damaging than the fact of Tim’s sentiments are their implications,” longtime activist and 49ers consultant Dr. Harry Edwards wrote in an e-mail to the Chronicle. “In a game that is so competitive and where ‘winning edges and even slight advantages’ tend to be critically important if not determinant, are we really to believe that White QB’s are at a strategic disadvantage? Should the 2020 NFL player draft select for dark-skinned, athletic QB prospects in search of the next Lamar Jackson? Or maybe this puts a premium on QB’s – irrespective of race — who can play well wearing the right color gloves — gloves that will give them the right hand hue to camouflage the football on handoffs.”

Whatever the ramifications of Ryan’s ridiculous words, it’s just one more question black quarterbacks have to face. One more obstacle they have to overcome. One more inquiry about their supposed “advantages” when, in truth, black quarterbacks have operated behind considerable, crushing, and at times, career-ending disadvantages throughout the NFL’s 100-year history.

The 49ers are confident that Ryan will “grow and learn from this experience.” It’s a teachable moment for everyone who watches and analyzes the game to check ourselves, our privileges, and our blind spots, and to make sure we’re holding everyone to the same standard.

Even with an eye on Michael Vick’s record, Lamar Jackson staying humble and focused on winning first

With just 63 more yards Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will break Michael Vick’s rushing record. But he’s focused on winning

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson needs just 63 yards over four more games and he’ll break an NFL record not many thought would ever be broken. Yet with Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for quarterbacks seemingly on the horizon, Jackson is keeping a cool head about the situation and focused on his team’s goals above his own.

When asked how he felt about possibly breaking Vick’s record, Jackson was his usual humble self. Though Jackson said Vick was his football idol growing up and “it would be an honor” to break his record, Jackson focused on the Ravens picking up their 11th win.

This is just the latest showing of Jackson’s singular focus and humble outlook. While having perfect games and setting records is cool and all, Jackson has often followed the praise heaped upon him with talk about winning being more important. In this day and age with a franchise quarterback who could very well sign a record-breaking contract in a few short years thanks to his individual play, that attitude is pretty refreshing.

Don’t get me wrong, NFL players have been trained since childhood to give media-friendly non-answers. It’s why the guys who don’t give canned responses or allow their emotions to control their mouths tend to find themselves on the front pages of newspapers and websites. But I genuinely get the feeling these types of answers aren’t PR provided team-first talk but legitimately the way Jackson feels about this team and his teammates.

Just look back to when coach John Harbaugh was pumped up for Jackson on the sideline, giving him individual praise. When told by his coach he’s changed the game and that children would be wearing his jersey for the next two decades pretending to be him on sandlots around the country — something absolutely any player in any sport would love to hear and has likely aspired to since they were kids themselves — Jackson simply said “I can’t wait to see it when I get older, but right now, I gotta get to the Super Bowl.”

Who the hell, when in a candid moment in the heat of battle, says that to that type of praise? Seriously, how many franchise quarterbacks would brush off being called a living legend by their own coach to talk about the team winning a Super Bowl? Not many, and that’s part of Jackson’s charm as he reaches this level.

He has this innocent “awe shucks” attitude in spite of being arguably the most electric athlete in the sport of football in a generation. He doesn’t shy away from showing some fire, like you’ll see when he spikes the ball out of frustration when there’s a pre-snap penalty. He doesn’t pretend he doesn’t want to be the best player to ever play the game, like when he put in serious work this offseason to improve his play. But he continues to put his team and teammates above his individual play and accolades. When he’s had awe-inspiring games this season, Jackson has often recounted specific plays where he could have been better and helped a teammate out. Again, I’ll ask . . . Who does that after throwing five touchdowns in a game?

At a time when so many skill position players talk about “getting that bag” when they play well and even coaches are wearing stupid, cocky shirts intended to provoke and take attention away from the team, Jackson sees Baltimore’s success is more important. In spite of potentially not only breaking but shattering an NFL record that could stand for decades, Jackson doesn’t seem to see that as a way to get more money, earn more television commercials or drive his own fame. Instead, he sees that as a way for the team to reach their collective goal and everyone to get some of the praise.

They don’t often make em like Jackson and in spite of how he’d probably move beyond the compliment, he deserves special praise for his attitude and outlook. It’ll serve him well over his career and likely see him breaking even more records as he goes along while winning plenty of games.

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