It goes without saying that all sports teams want to get off to a quick start. That’s especially important in the NFL, where each game accounts for about 6% of the season and making up ground after a bad early stretch is daunting.
This leads us to an important Maryland online sports betting trend from recent years.
The Baltimore Ravens have done a good job over the years of getting off to a quick start and this season should be no different.
Best NFL Teams in September Since 2010
Strong Recent History For Ravens
First, here’s a historical look at the Ravens in September. BetMaryland.com – your source for the best Maryland sports betting promos – used StatMuse.com to find the records of every NFL team in September regular-season games since 2010. Note that all teams didn’t participate in the same number of games, so our rankings are based on winning percentage.
The Ravens are 28-16, for a winning percentage of .636, in September regular-season games since 2010. That placed Baltimore fourth among the 32 NFL teams behind only Green Bay (.693), Kansas City (.691) and New England (.682).
This season, the Ravens should at least equal that success and possibly exceed it, based on their schedule in the first few games and their preseason expectations.
Opening Few Weeks Look Promising
BetMaryland.com will be tracking the Baltimore Ravens playoff chances all season.
Baltimore has three September regular-season games in 2023: Sept. 10, against Houston at home; Sept. 17, against Cincinnati on the road, and Sept. 24, against Indianapolis at home. All of those games are slated for the Sunday early window (meaning 1 p.m. Eastern time) at kickoff.
As the schedule-maker would have it, Week 1 (Texans) and Week 3 (Colts) will have the Ravens hosting home games against teams that are projected to be among the weakest in the NFL.
Ravens Point Spreads For Initial 2023 NFL Season
In Week 1, the Raven are a hefty 9.5-point favorite over Houston at BetMGM Maryland Sportsbook, and on Week 3, Baltimore is a 7.5-point favorite over Indianapolis on BetMGM. Both opponents are expected to start rookie quarterbacks – C.J. Stroud for Houston and Anthony Richardson for Indianapolis.
The Bengals are 3.5-point favorites at BetMGM for the Week 2 game, as of spreads posted Thursday. The Bengals have been to the AFC Championship Game in each of the past two seasons and Cincinnati is at home. However, Bengals’ star quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a strained calf early in training camp and he has been basically out of action ever since.
How big of an impact might this AFC North rivalry game have? Track the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl odds to find out.
Admittedly, Sept. 17 is a long way off and if Burrow plays, the Ravens have their hands full. Last season, the Ravens split with the Bengals in the regular season and lost in the first round of the playoffs at Cincinnati. However, Baltimore won the only game between the two teams in which Ravens star QB Lamar Jackson started in 2022.
In the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Jackson was out with an injury, backup Tyler Huntley started, and Baltimore more than held its own. Cincinnati won 24-17 when Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard scored on a 98-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter.
Ravens AFC North Preseason Odds
The Ravens have odds between +210 and +235 at various Maryland betting apps to win the division this season.
Returning to how NFL teams have fared in September since 2010, positions 5-10, after Baltimore are as follows: Dallas (.605); Denver (.595); Seattle (.581); Buffalo (.568), the Los Angeles Rams (.558), and Philadelphia (.557).
