The Baltimore Ravens will host the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round after both AFC home teams took care of business in the wild card round. The No. 1-seeded Ravens opened on odds boards at -8.5 against the upstart Texans, but the line has moved to -9.0 and even -9.5 at some sportsbooks.
MVP favorite Lamar Jackson and the Ravens unsurprisingly opened as favorites, with the OVER/UNDER set at 45.5. Still, giving up well over a touchdown is a big betting line considering the throttling the Texans handed the Ravens' AFC North rival Cleveland in the first round.
The Texans head to Baltimore with renewed confidence after disposing of the Browns in impressive fashion in the wild card round. Houston dominated Cleveland en route to a 45-14 win at home. Rookie QB C.J. Stroud tied an NFL rookie record with three TD passes to go along with 274 yards passing behind a crisp 16-of-21 passing and 157.2 passer rating — the fourth-highest in NFL playoff history. The game was never in doubt for Houston.
Visiting the No. 1-seeded Ravens will be a bigger task than hosting the Browns, however. Baltimore clinched home field advantage with a week to spare and rested several starters during Week 18. They’ll enter the divisional round in good health and having witnessed Stroud & Co.’s impressive breakout playoff performance in the wild card round.
Odds for Ravens vs. Texans: AFC divisional round spread, total, moneyline
Here are current NFL betting lines for Saturday's AFC divisional round game:
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Baltimore Ravens ATS record and betting overview
The Ravens had the benefit of being the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a bye week to rest up and prepare for the AFC Divisional Round. After the Texans dismantled the Browns, the Ravens will surely realize the vast potential of this young Houston squad.
The Ravens were 11-6 against the spread this season and finished strong, winning six of their last seven contests. Baltimore also covered the spread in five of those seven. A lot of credit goes to Lamar Jackson, who put together one of the best performances of any player in the NFL this season.
After signing a monster extension this offseason, Jackson has delivered one of the best seasons of his career. He threw for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He also has 821 rushing yards to lead Baltimore with five touchdowns this season.
With an elite passing attack coming to town in Houston, the Ravens will need to continue to get excellent play from their defensive backfield. Their starting safeties, Kyle Hamilton and Geno Stone, have combined for 11 interceptions, and turnovers could be a game-changer against Houston.
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Houston Texans ATS record and betting overview
The Houston Texans ended the Joe Flacco Cinderella story in the first game of the NFL's wild card round. C.J. Stroud was dominant and had one of the most impressive performances of any rookie quarterback in recent memory.
The Browns had one of the NFL's best defenses in the regular season, and Houston's passing attack shredded Cleveland. The Texans are now 11-7 overall with a 10-8 ATS record and will take their show on the road against the AFC's top seed.
Going against an elite Baltimore team with a multifaceted rushing attack, the Texans' defense will need their best performance of the season. In the regular season, linebackers Blake Cashman and Christian Harris tallied over 100 tackles a piece. They will have a tough assignment in containing Jackson and the Ravens' stable of running backs.
Beyond the required defensive effort, Stroud must continue playing at an MVP level. The Texans have accelerated their rebound behind the play of Stroud but don't have the talent that Baltimore is equipped with. Because of that, they will need Stroud to outplay Jackson to have a chance, which is a challenging task.
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