With 11 straight wins, the Broncos have the longest active win streak in the NFL and their longest since 1998 (13-0) http://ow.ly/gKcBQ
NFL Playoff betting in the Divisional Round begins with the highly-anticipated kick-off between the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos. As things currently stand, the game is poised on a nine-and-a-half-point spread – what is a generous spread to cover, make no mistake. Clearly, the odds makers are predicting a rather one-sided affair with the Broncos running away with this game. Is that the correct assessment or will this game be closer than most are having it?
NFL Lines and Odds:
Baltimore Ravens +9½ -120 +340 Ov 45½ -110
Denver Broncos -9½ +100 -410 Un 45½ -110
Denver Broncos -9½ +100 -410 Un 45½ -110
Match Time: 4:30 PM EST, Saturday January 12, 2013
TV Coverage: CBS
Analysis:
Baltimore Ravens (10-6, 4-4 away) – The Baltimore Ravens came through as the six-and-a-half-point faves in the wildcard round when they beat the Indianapolis Colts 24-9 at home. Despite the overwhelmingly one-sided score however, the game got off to a rather slow start and going into half-time the Colts were still very much in it, trailing only by four (6-10) to the Ravens. The second-half was a different affair entirely as the Ravens really raised the level of play and ran away with the game. Joe Flacco went 12 of 23 for 282 yards and two touchdowns (1-13 sacks). Wide Receiver Anquan Boldin recorded 145 yards receiving (a franchise first) including receiving the winning touchdown. Linebacker Ray Lewis (who announced he’ll retire at the end of this season) made 13 tackles.
Denver Broncos (13-3, 7-1 home) – Top-seeded Denver (13-3 SU) will be looking to record their twelfth straight win when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The last time the pair met, just under a month ago, the Broncos blew the Ravens 34-17 on the road, marking their first win at Baltimore in six meetings spanning 29 years. Although Peyton Manning wasn’t up to his usual high-standards on that night— going 17 of 28 for 204 yards and just one touchdown – the Broncos proved just how good they were as a team. Indeed, the win was entirely down to team effort with Decker (pass from Manning), Moreno, Hester, Harris and Prater contributing to the scoreboard.
Verdict: Form and momentum is decidedly with the Broncos who are red-hot right now with an 11-game winning streak ahead of this game, including a 7-0 record at home. (They haven’t lost a home game since week 3 of the NFL 2012 season when they hosted the Houston Texans.) Importantly, offense has been lighting up the scoreboard and seven of their last eleven games saw them blow the opposition by more than ten points. All things being considered, Broncos are the correct faves and, perhaps even, correctly tipped as the nine-and-a-half point faves on the spread. Let’s face it, only a sentimental fan moved by the back story to this matchup – Ray Lewis’ retirement – could believe the Ravens have what it takes to keep pace with the Broncos, let alone beat them.
