Niners vs Ravens NFL Preseason Week 1 Odds
The San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens will take part in the preseason Harbaugh Bowl between Niners Coach Jim Harbaugh and his older brother…
The San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens will take part in the preseason Harbaugh Bowl between Niners Coach Jim Harbaugh and his older brother, Ravens Coach John Harbaugh. Last season the Niners returned to their third straight NFC Championship game, losing to the Seahawks, and the Ravens failed to make the playoffs after five consecutive years of making it. For their pre-season matchup, Sportsbook has the Ravens as -1 point home favorites over the Niners with the total set at 35 points. Check out my San Francisco vs Baltimore prediction and all NFL Preseason Point Spreads before the regular season kicks-off.
The Ravens finished a disappointing 8-8 in their first year without Ray Lewis leading the defense. It also did not help them in 2013 when they lost eight starters from their Super Bowl-winning season. They will start the 2014 season without star running back Ray Rice as he serves a two-game suspension for his role in a domestic violence incident. The Ravens did have a strong offseason as they drafted C.J. Mosley to help out the defense, and also added Steve Smith to the receiving corps.
CJ Mosley – the first round draft pick out of Alabama will take over the spot Ray Lewis left behind, but the team failed to properly address in 2013. He has been very impressive in camp so far.
Bernard Pierce is expected to carry the load on offense while Ray Rice sits out for two games due to suspension. Pierce played very well back in 2012, but regressed in 2013. The Ravens need to be sure he can play efficiently on the ground while they await Rice’s return.
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The 49ers have advanced to the NFC Championship Game in the last three years, and will look to make it a fourth. Last year, Richard Sherman prevented the team from advancing to their second straight Super Bowl. The 49ers have had an injury-plagued preseason in which the biggest hit was losing defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey for the year with a torn bicep. If the team is going to get far this year, they are going to have to rely on depth to help them out.
Steve Johnson, the former Bills star WR was traded to the 49ers for a low draft pick and now gets to augment a receiving corps that had only one wideout with over 250 yards in 2013.
Frank Gore production should be in for a heavy decline starting this year, at age 31. And with injuries to key depth players like Marcus Lattimore, Lamichael James and Kendall Hunter, the 49ers will need him as healthy as possible to have an effective run game the season – especially for one that was 3rd in the league.
San Francisco at Baltimore
When: Thursday August 7@7:30 PM ET
Pick: Niners +1
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