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The Baltimore Ravens (3-1) and Atlanta Falcons (2-2) meet tonight in the Week 5 edition of NFL Sunday Night Football. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The game will be broadcast live on NBC and stream on Peacock.
The Falcons are 3.5-point favorites over the Ravens on the spread, with the over/under set at 43.5 total points. Atlanta is a -172 moneyline favorite to win outright, while Baltimore is a +144 underdog to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Ravens vs Falcons predictions for Sunday Night Football.
Ravens vs Falcons Prediction
- Ravens vs Falcons pick: Ravens +3.5 (-122)
My Ravens vs. Falcons best bet is on Baltimore to cover the spread, with the best price currently available at FanDuel. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
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Ravens vs Falcons Odds
| Ravens Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -122 | 43.5 -114o / -106u | +144 |
| Falcons Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 +100 | 43.5 -114o / -106u | -172 |
- Ravens vs Falcons spread: Ravens +3.5 (-122), Falcons -3.5 (+100)
- Ravens vs Falcons total: 43.5 (-114o/ -106u)
- Ravens vs Falcons moneyline: Ravens +144, Falcons -172
Ravens vs Falcons NFL Sunday Night Football Preview
The Ravens will travel to Atlanta with a 3-1 record. They started out the season with a blowout victory over the Colts then allowed 15 straight fourth-quarter points to blow a lead in their home opener vs. the Saints before rebounding with a pair of wins over the Cowboys and Titans.
In last week's win over Tennessee, Lamar Jackson left the game with an ankle injury and will be sidelined for tonight's game.
Following his exit, Tyler Huntley took over and Baltimore did absolutely nothing on offense, which allowed the Titans to eventually sneak in for the backdoor cover in the final minute of the game.
Atlanta has one of the oddest profiles in the NFL through four weeks. It began the season with two ugly losses vs. the Steelers and Panthers, but Cooper Rush started under center, so you can't take too much from either result given how incompetent he looked.
With Michael Penix Jr. replacing Rush, the Falcons then bounced back with a pair of dominant victories over the Packers and Saints to get back to .500.
So, who exactly are the Falcons?
They are probably somewhere in between those two versions. Keep in mind Green Bay and New Orleans both had key offensive line injuries, which definitely boosted the surprisingly robust Atlanta pressure numbers, which many weren't expecting to see without Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.
The Falcons have also faced some porous rush defenses to start the season. The Saints in particular really struggle in that department (dead last in rush success rate allowed) and were dealing with a handful of critical injuries to their best run defenders.
As a result, it was a perfect matchup for Bijan Robinson and the rest of the Falcons' rushing attack to go off.
Ravens vs Falcons Prediction, Betting Analysis
Lookahead lines aren't the most efficient or liquid market, but Baltimore was a 6.5-point favorite at some shops. Obviously, that got adjusted following Lamar Jackson's injury and then again after Atlanta routed the Saints on Monday Night Football. Prior to that game, Baltimore sat as a 3.5-point favorite, which we have seen completely flip to Atlanta -3.5.
The question is simple for this game: is that too much of an overreaction?
It's a massive move crossing the ultimate key number in the NFL (3) twice. In my opinion, the answer is yes.
After adjusting for Tyler Huntley, I project the Falcons as a favorite but I'm under a field goal, so I took the 3.5 points with the road birds.
The Ravens have a very formidable defense that will provide the biggest resistance to Bijan Robinson and the Falcons have seen this season. I don't think he will just run wild with ease, while Michael Penix Jr. will have to actually go through his progressions against Jesse Minter's defense.
Additionally, the Ravens' rushing attack — led by Derrick Henry — will be the best one that Atlanta has faced by a wide margin.
And it's not like Huntley is some raw and inexperienced unknown commodity. He's one of the better and more experienced backups in the league.
I believe the Ravens offense looked so inept with him last week because they went into a shell with such a big lead against a downright dreadful Titans team.
Keep in mind this is a brand new offensive scheme, so Huntley should benefit immensely from working with the 1s for a full week of practice.
I expect this to be a competitive game throughout and ultimately chose to back Baltimore since I believe the market is overvaluing the Falcons for a pair of victories over flawed (and beat-up teams), while also overadjusting for the drop-off from Jackson to Huntley.
Pick: Ravens +3.5 (-122)
