The NFL Preseason is in full swing and there’s a ton of action over the weekend. The Baltimore Ravens emerged from their first preseason matchup with a win, as did the Minnesota Vikings. On Saturday we get a meeting between these two playoff hopefuls at 1 p.m. ET.
Here’s a prediction and pick for Ravens vs. Vikings in the NFL Preseason on Saturday, courtesy of odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Ravens vs. Vikings preview
The preseason really doesn’t mean all that much in the grand scheme of things, so it shouldn’t be used as a measuring stick for a team’s future performance. However, for the clubs themselves, there are reasons that these games do matter.
The Ravens won’t be playing many, if any of their starters this weekend. We all know what Lamar Jackson can do, as does the coaching staff, and Zay Flowers secured a lucrative contract extension in recent weeks. Instead, the focus is on position battles and the fight for depth spots on this roster, also seeking to integrate the new scheme that first-year head coach Jesse Minter has brought to Baltimore.
The first preseason matchup was a breeze for the Ravens, who won 24-7 against the Philadelphia Eagles. They racked up a whopping 440 yards of offense with 298 through the air, the vast majority of which came from UDFA quarterback Joe Fagnano. He went 22-for-28 with 224 yards, a touchdown and an interception, flashing some promise once veteran Tyler Huntley left the game. The backfield rotation was uninspiring in terms of individual performances, but the receiving core did stand out – third-round rookie Ja’Kobi Lane hauled in three passes for 38 yards and a touchdown while fourth-rounder Elijah Sarratt led the team with six catches for 66 yards. They’re two names to keep an eye on as they battle for the WR2/3 roles moving forward.
As for the Vikings, the starters got some run in the opener but are expected to see less work here. J.J. McCarthy, who has already lost the starting job to Kyler Murray, will start under center Saturday with veteran Carson Wentz and youngster Max Brosmer backing him up. McCarthy went 4-for-7 with 34 yards in the preseason opener, but it was Wentz who actually saw more run with a 9-for-14 line for 81 yards and a score. Could they be battling for the QB2 role? Absolutely, especially with McCarthy’s longer-term future uncertain.
Minnesota did with 13-10 against the New York Giants to begin the preseason, but it wasn’t a pretty showing. The offense tallied 238 total yards and went only 4-for-12 on third downs. Now, the defense played a stronger game by holding John Harbaugh’s squad to 201 total yards on the day, also snagging a pair of interceptions. The positives were certainly on that side of the ball for the Vikings. Now, determining what happens with the offense given the names available is tougher in this second matchup, but second-year wideout Myles Price was the lone name who stood out in the opener with four catches for 51 yards and some special-teams work.
Ravens vs. Vikings prediction, pick
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Vikings as a 3.5-point favorite in this matchup with -166 odds to win on the Moneyline. The Ravens are a +140 road underdog with the game total set at 41.5 combined points.
To be clear, betting on NFL Preseason can prove very tricky. Established names don’t see much action, especially in the earlier weeks, and there’s much more variance in these games due to the roster shuffling and how deep of a player pool coaches draw from.
Still, I actually do like Baltimore as a live underdog on the spread in this game. The club looked quite formidable in the preseason opener and practically dominated the Eagles despite the fact that the starters didn’t suit up. The Ravens are being very cautious with their stars – and for good reason – but did show cohesion even without Jackson and Co. on the field. I also like the receiving weapons they’ll deploy, namely the pair of rookies in Lane and Sarratt. Defensively speaking, this could be an even matchup, but even with the steady presence of Wentz under center for Minnesota for a while, I’d rather take the team that looked better in the extremely limited sample size thus far.
