NFL Week 3 closes with a blockbuster: The Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football.
For the big MNF game, we've compiled six Monday Night Football predictions that feature best bets from our top NFL experts.
Among these Lions-Ravens expert best bets are picks for the spread and game total, two anytime touchdown props, and two receiving props.
Monday Night Football Predictions (Lions vs Ravens)
- Ravens -4.5 (-110; bet365)
- Under 53.5 (-110; bet365)
- Mark Andrews Anytime Touchdown (+200; FanDuel)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown Anytime Touchdown (+130; BetMGM)
- Jahmyr Gibbs Over 24.5 Receiving Yards (-110; bet365)
- Zay Flowers Over 69.5 Receiving Yards (-137; DraftKings)
Lions vs Ravens Best Bets
Ravens -4.5 (-110; bet365)
By Kyle Murray
The Lions bounced back from their abysmal Week 1 showing with a commanding win over the Bears in Week 2 — I think that win might be leading to them getting too much credit heading into Monday Night Football.
The Lions have a tall task here against maybe the best team in football, and they have to go on the road for this one.
Since Jared Goff arrived in Detroit, he has been much better at home and/or in a dome; he will have neither of those things working in his favor here. The Lions will also be a bit shorthanded on defense with Marcus Davenport out.
Since 2023, the Lions are averaging five fewer points per game outdoors as their per-game average falls from 32.5 PPG to 27.3 PPG when playing in road games.
Under 53.5 (-110; bet365)
The total for Monday Night Football opened at 50.5 — it's now up to 53.5 as kickoff approaches.
Some trends to consider for this under:
- Non-Thursday primetime totals since 2019 are 61% to under.
- Games that feature Jared Goff and have a total of at least 51 points are 20-12 to the under (63%) — the best mark for an active QB.
- Totals over 52 that rose over a point since 2017 have had the under hit 59% of the time.
MNF Anytime Touchdown Picks
Mark Andrews Anytime Touchdown (+200; FanDuel)
While some people may be scared of Mark Andrews at this point in his career, there is no reason to worry.
Andrews started off slowly last season — he didn't score in his first five games but had 11 TDs by the end of the season. He only has seven targets through two games, but two of those targets were of the red-zone variety and that accounts for 40% of Lamar's overall red-zone targets.
The matchup against the Lions is a tough one for the Ravens' running game. While that is largely the identity of this Ravens offense, they will likely pass at a higher rate in this spot.
I have the true odds on Andrews around +160, making this a great EV bet.
Amon-Ra St. Brown Anytime Touchdown (+130; BetMGM)
By Grant Neiffer
Amon-Ra St. Brown's role in Detroit's offense has been largely unchanged this season.
St. Brown had a massive Week 2 with nine receptions on 11 targets and 3 TDs to go along with two rushing attempts. He's been used heavily and the spot tonight looks like it should be the same.
The Lions love to run the ball heavily with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, but the Ravens utilize a pass funnel that forces opponents to pass at a drastically higher rate. Being a 4.5-point underdogm, the game script likely favors the pass game for the Lions.
St. Brown has been the go-to guy in the end zone this season with six targets through two games, which accounts for over a third of Jared Goff's passes in the red zone.
I have the true odds on St. Brown around +100, making this a great EV bet.
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Lions vs Ravens Player Props
Jahmyr Gibbs Over 24.5 Receiving Yards (-110; bet365)
By Kyle Murray
This line for Jahmyr Gibbs is just too low and doesn't give the star running back enough credit after a couple of lackluster weeks.
Gibbs is one of the most explosive players in the league and he could easily go over this number with just one catch. The Ravens set up as a good matchup to allow Gibbs to see high volume work as well.
The Lions are 4.5-point underdogs on the road here, so we could see them have to lean on the pass more. Gibbs has run a route on 85% of the pass snaps he has played, and that has led to him seeing 13 targets (he's caught all of them).
This is a matchup that has led to RB target increases this season as RBs have seen the second-most targets per game against Baltimore.
Zay Flowers Over 69.5 Receiving Yards (-137; DraftKings)
The Lions are currently a massive pass funnel on defense, shutting down the run in both games they've played while struggling mightily to defend the pass.
That's a recipe for disaster against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
Zay Flowers has emerged into an absolute alpha receiver for the Ravens. He is second behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba in target share, with 51% of the Ravens' team air yards as well.
