Buffalo at Baltimore 2018 NFL Week 1 Betting Preview

Buffalo commences their 2018 NFL campaign with a trip to Baltimore against the Ravens. The Bills made the playoffs for the first time in 20 seasons last year, but starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor is now playing for the Cleveland Browns, and rookie Josh Allen is right now the leading candidate to start as the Bills’ signal-caller. The Ravens are looking for some redemption after several years outside contention, although they have not made many upgrades to their lineup from a year ago. Take a look at our NFL betting insights on this matchup.

Buffalo at Baltimore 2018 NFL Week 1 Betting Preview

New look. Same Billy Buffalo. Our favorite mascot is back and looking better than ever! #GoBills pic.twitter.com/rj2pKkR4XX

— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) August 26, 2018

When: Sunday, September 9, 2018, 1:00pm ET Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore TV: CBS Radio: WGR 550 AM Buffalo / WBAL 1090 AM Baltimore Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Odds: Baltimore -3.5, O/U 42

Why should you bet on the Bills?

It looks like Josh Allen will be the starting quarterback for Buffalo in the season opener, now that AJ McCarron has gone down with a collarbone fracture. It’s either that or start Nathan Peterman, a second-year quarterback who had five interceptions in his first start a year ago. Either way, the likelihood of a lot of success against one of the top defenses in the AFC is quite small. The Bills have three new starters on their offensive line that they need to mesh together, so Allen could spend a lot of time on the run. He did look good against Cleveland, but the Ravens’ defense is still another level up. On the defensive side of the ball, Buffalo has a fairly solid unit. Tre’Davious White returns to lead a secondary that is fast and physical. Up front, Buffalo generates a fairly consistent pass rush, and their linebacking corp is fast and tackles with some ferocity. So Joe Flacco of the Ravens will have some heat on him, and there are some who think that Flacco is overrated and that it is time to look at Lamar Jackson. If you like the Bills, then you think the Buffalo defense (which went to Kansas City and picked up a big win last year) can deliver big-time against the Ravens as well.

Why should you put your money on Baltimore?

There are some people who think the Ravens will contend in the AFC North, and there are some who think they might finish third — behind Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The camp that people fall in on that tends to align with their feelings about Flacco and whether he is too far past his prime to put together a solid offensive season or not. Jalen Ramsey, the Jacksonville cornerback, came out and said publicly that Flacco “sucks” and is washed up. You could view Flacco as motivated by that comment and likely to come out firing against the Bills, or you could view it as largely true. The Ravens don’t have a whole lot of talented options as far as wideouts go. They offered Dez Bryant a three-year deal which he turned down, because he wanted a one-year deal that would allow him to show his stuff before going into free agency next year. Bryant remains unsigned, but the Ravens look to be holding pat in the receiving corps for now.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I was a big fan of the Bills’ run last season, but I also realize that they reached their ceiling. That’s why Taylor is gone, because the Bills need to finish their rebuild, and the quarterback position is a great place to start. Josh Allen has a lot of talent, but starting this soon is not likely to end well for him, as he faces a Ravens defense that is savvy and opportunistic. I see Buffalo putting up a fight, but I think that the Ravens win a grinder of a game, prevailing by a final score of 20-13 and sending the Bills to an 0-1 start.