The Baltimore Ravens will try to build on their lead in the AFC North when they take on the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. The Ravens (6-2), first place in the AFC North by one game over the Pittsburgh Steelers, are coming off a 34-31 overtime win against the Minnesota Vikings. The Dolphins (2-7), fourth in the AFC East, beat the Houston Texans in Week 9. Baltimore has won six of its past seven games, while Miami snapped a seven-game losing streak last Sunday.
Kickoff from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. Baltimore is a 7.5-point favorite in the latest Ravens vs. Dolphins odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 46.5. Before you make any Ravens vs. Dolphins bets or predictions, make sure you check out what SportsLine NFL expert Mike Tierney has to say.
A national sportswriter whose work appears in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered the NFL for decades and reported from seven Super Bowls. He’s used his experience to crush the NFL, going 187-147 against the spread the past three seasons. In addition, Tierney is an outstanding 26-13-1 on his last 40 against the spread picks involving the Ravens. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Tierney has zoned in on Ravens vs. Dolphins. You can head to SportsLine to see his picks. Here are the NFL lines and trends for Ravens vs. Dolphins:
- Dolphins vs. Ravens spread: Baltimore -7.5
- Dolphins vs. Ravens over-under: 46.5 points
- Dolphins vs. Ravens money line: Baltimore -380, Miami +300
- BAL: Ravens are 4-1-1 against the spread in their last six Thursday games
- MIA: Dolphins are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games in November
Why the Ravens can cover
Quarterback Lamar Jackson passed for 266 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions and rushed for a season-high 120 yards last week against Minnesota. It was his 10th career game with 100 or more rushing yards, tied with Michael Vick for most all-time by a quarterback. Jackson will look for his third game in a row with 85 or more rushing yards and fifth consecutive game with 50. In his last game against Miami, Jackson completed 17-of-20 passes (85 percent) for 324 yards and five touchdowns for a 158.3 rating.
Running back Devonta Freeman rushed for a season-high 79 yards and had his first touchdown reception of the season against the Vikings last week. Freeman will look for his fourth game in a row with a touchdown. In seven games this season, he has carried 33 times for 188 yards (5.7 average) and two touchdowns.
Why the Dolphins can cover
Despite that, Baltimore is not a lock to cover the Ravens vs. Dolphins spread. Despite quarterback Tua Tagovailoa being iffy due to injury, Jacoby Brissett is ready to step in. Last week against Houston, Brissett completed 26-of-43 passes (60.5 percent) for 244 yards and a touchdown. He has two or more touchdown passes and a 95 or better rating in two of his past three starts. He has four rushing touchdowns and no interceptions in four career games on Thursday Night Football, including three starts.
Running back Myles Gaskin leads the Dolphins in rushing. In nine games, Gaskin has carried 86 times for 313 yards (3.6 average) and one touchdown. Gaskin had 57 yards from scrimmage, with six receptions and his first rushing touchdown of the season, last week. He is looking for his fourth game in a row with 50 or more yards from scrimmage.
How to make Dolphins vs. Ravens picks
Tierney has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he’s leaning under the total, he has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine.
So who wins Ravens vs. Dolphins on Thursday Night Football? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Tierney’s Ravens vs. Dolphins picks, all from the NFL expert who’s 26-13 on picks involving Baltimore, and find out.
