SPORTS BETTING

• Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns

  Posted on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT by GetChalk

  
  

  The Baltimore Ravens are hoping a primetime date with the Cleveland Browns can snap their mid-season slump. These two AFC North rivals clash in Cleveland on Monday Night Football.
   
  Oddsmakers have set the Ravens as 10.5-point road favorites despite losing four of their last five contests. Baltimore is coming off a 17-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals as a 3-point road favorite in Week 9. The Ravens won the first meeting with the Browns this year, taking a one-sided 34-3 affair at home in Week 3.
   
  Baltimore's issues on both sides off the ball are to blame for its recent swoon. On offense, second-year passer Joe Flacco has been less than impressive in his last two starts. Against the Bengals, Flacco passed for just 195 yards while completing just over 56 percent of his throws. He failed to connect for a touchdown and was picked off twice, giving him a touchdown-to-interception count of 12-to-7.
   
  His struggles have limited the Ravens' offense in the first half of their recent games. During the last five contests, Baltimore has totaled just 23 points in the first half including getting shutout through the first two quarters in last week's loss.
   
  One offensive weapon getting the job done is running back Ray Rice. The second-year back has scored in each of the last three games, totaling six touchdowns on the season. Rice has stepped into the starting role, taking carries away from veteran running back Willis McGahee. Last week versus Cincinnati, Rice rushed for just 48 yards but caught eight balls for 87 yards through the air.
   
  Baltimore's biggest strength, its defense, isn't keeping the team afloat like past seasons. The Ravens are a middle-of-the-road stop unit, allowing more than 320 yards and 19 points per game this season. In last week's loss, the defense allowed the Bengals to score on their first three possessions of the game – putting up two touchdowns and a field goal – before shutting them out the rest of the game.
   
  The Ravens are also not carrying the team in the take-away category. They led the NFL in interceptions last season, picking off 26 passes. This year, Baltimore has just seven interceptions. Safety Ed Reed was tops in the NFL in picks, with nine in 2008. However, he has only two interceptions this season while being slowed by nerve pain in his neck.
   
  Baltimore will face a Cleveland offense struggling for an identity. The Browns have dropped three straight games and are coming off the bye week. They are 1-7 with a 3-5 record against the spread.
   
  Head coach Eric Mangini continues to flip-flop on his starting quarterback, handing the ball back to Brady Quinn, who he benched after Week 3 of the season in favor of Derek Anderson. Anderson struggled, posting a QB rating of 36.2, leaving the Browns to put their trust back in Quinn.
   
  In his three starts, Quinn has passed for just one touchdown while throwing three interceptions. One of those picks came against the Ravens in the Week 3 loss, which happened to be the game that benched the former Notre Dame star. He's totaled just over 400 yards on 59 percent completions.
   
  The last time the Browns faced the Ravens, they at least had a No. 1 receiving threat in Braylon Edwards. Fast forward to Week 10 and Edwards is suiting up for the New York Jets and Mohamed Massaquoi is the team's top receiver by default. Massaquoi has totaled 328 yards and has yet to find the endzone. He caught just two balls for 28 yards in the Week 8 loss to the Chicago Bears.
   
  On the ground, the Browns are still relying on veteran running back Jamal Lewis, who has been slowed by a hamstring injury. He's averaging only 3.6 yards per rush and is coming off a 69-yard effort versus Chicago. Lewis has also failed to score a touchdown this season and Cleveland has mustered just two scores on the ground – both coming from Anderson on QB keepers.
   
  Monday night's total is set at 38.5 points. These two divisional foes have played over the total in four of their last six meetings. For the season, the Browns post an over/under mark of 3-5 while the Ravens are an even 4-4 over/under.