Betting Preview
Game Details
- Matchup: Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 5 (Week 9)
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore)
Odds Summary
- Moneyline: Ravens -285, Seahawks +230
- Spread: Ravens -6 (-110), Seahawks +6 (-110)
- Total: Over/Under 44 (-110/-110)
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook. Subject to change.
The Seattle Seahawks (5-2) will face another AFC North team after last week’s 24-20 home win against the Cleveland Browns, traveling to Baltimore to play the Ravens (6-2) in Week 9 of the 2023 NFL schedule.
While the Seahawks have been dominant thus far, they’re still a touchdown underdog on the road. Conversely, the Ravens are 1-0 against the NFC West after last week’s 31-24 win over the Cardinals, which came despite a mediocre performance from Lamar Jackson (174 total yards).
Gus Edwards carried the ball 19 times for 80 yards with three touchdowns in the win. If Edwards can remain a force on the ground, Baltimore will have a lot of offensive firepower in the second half of the season.
The Ravens are one of the favorites to make a run in the playoffs, as their Super Bowl odds are the eighth-shortest at 15/1, while the Seahawks’ price in the futures market is 28/1.
Moneyline
The Ravens are priced as a significant moneyline favorite at home entering Sunday’s cross-conference showdown. We’ll lay the juice and play the Ravens, but the price makes the spread a more appealing market.
Baltimore has been inconsistent this season, but one game has caught bookmakers’ attention. The Ravens beat Detroit into submission two weeks ago in a 38-6 home win where everything went right for them – but it’s not an accurate depiction of this team’s talent.
Jackson was fantastic in that game, with nearly 400 yards of total offense and four touchdowns, but he followed that performance by barely making noise against the Cardinals. The Ravens have the defensive talent, but they will go as far as Jackson takes them in 2023.
Jackson has struggled to avoid late-season injuries, but he has stayed healthy thus far. He will have to be flawless on Sunday against a competitive Seahawks team that has won five of its past six games, and that one loss was a game they handed to the Bengals with their brutal efficiency in the red zone.
Baltimore is the better squad coming into Week 9, but they’re beatable if they don’t come out fast against an explosive Seahawks team. However, the Ravens’ last performance at home gives us confidence they will play up to their capability.
Point Spread
The spread is six points, making this a difficult call. We’re going to lay the touchdown with the Ravens, and we expect the number to keep increasing as it opened at 4.5.
The 2.5-point shift is warranted based on the quality of Seattle’s wins and Smith’s turnover issues over the past three weeks.
No team can control their schedule, but Seattle hasn’t faced a test close to Baltimore since scoring a 37-31 road win over Detroit in Week 2. Since then, the Seahawks have beaten the Panthers, Giants and Cardinals – three of the worst teams in the NFL – before last week’s win over the Browns.
Even that win came against a Cleveland offense rattled by injuries. The Seahawks could surprise on Sunday, but based on the line movement, bettors are backing the team that has been battle-tested.
The biggest concern taking the Seahawks here is Smith’s turnover woes we’ve seen in recent weeks.
Smith has thrown six interceptions this season, and five have come in the past three games. Baltimore is tremendous at forcing mistakes, ranking sixth in interceptions (8), which may be the deciding factor that leads to a cover.
Over/Under
The Over/Under opened at 44, and we’re leaning Under for this line.
The Ravens receive a ton of credit for their explosive offense, but this team has trended Under in 2023. Baltimore owns the NFL’s best scoring defense (15.1 PPG) despite playing some high-powered offenses along the way – a key reason this team is 5-3 to the Under through eight weeks.
Seattle was scrutinized for its defense last season, but the Seahawks committed to that side of the ball in the offseason. Pete Carroll’s team is just outside the top 10 in points allowed (19.7 PPG), a major improvement from their bottom-10 mark last season (23.6 PPG).
We expect Jackson and the offense to score enough to cover, but both defenses should steal the show on Sunday. If Seattle can keep its rush lane integrity and not allow Jackson to escape the pocket, that will limit Baltimore’s scoring chances.
This should be an emphasis all week from Seattle’s staff, and expect it to translate to a low-scoring game on Sunday.
Player Prop
A playable prop bet is Geno Smith Over 232.5 passing yards (-115).
We discussed how good the Ravens are on defense, but they’re more susceptible in the secondary than along the front seven. The team has done an excellent job stopping the run, and Carroll isn’t afraid to abandon this part of Seattle’s offense for the downfield passing attack.
Baltimore ranks third in rushing yards allowed per game, but they’re 26th in total passing defense (232.2 YPG). Smith is an experienced quarterback who will take shots down the field, and his 232.5-yard total is moderate compared to his recent results.
The Seahawks quarterback has exceeded this number in four of seven games this season, and he missed part of one of those other three games with an injury. Smith is coming off a game where he threw the ball 37 times for 254 yards against a Browns defense that plays a similar style to Baltimore.
Seattle should leave its rushing attack for the passing game very early, which will help Smith surpass 232.5 yards.
Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images
