Baltimore Ravens vs Washington Football Team Odds, Lines, and Picks NFL Preseason Week 3

• The Baltimore Ravens seek record 20th straight preseason win as they visit Washington
• The Football Team starting offense has yet to score a TD this preseason
• Read below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction

Very rarely does the term historic meet with a sentence with preseason NFL Football.

Yet that’s what we could be in for Saturday night, when the Baltimore Ravens seek their 20th consecutive preseason win when they visit the Washington Football Team in each team’s third and final tune-up before the real thing. They matched the longest run with last week’s win over Carolina, tying the Vince Lombardi-era Packers, who set the mark across 1959 to 1962.

Kickoff goes at 6pm from FedEx Field. The game is available via local broadcast only, on NBC4/NBC Sports Washington.

Ravens vs Washington Odds

Odds as of August 27at DraftKings.

The Ravens opened as a 3.5-point favorites, in a game that features a total of 32.5.

Currently, 87% of the bets placed against the spread are on the Football Team (+3.5). The moneyline splits show 58% of the bets are on the Football Team, while 83% of the public bets are on the Under.

Same Old Ravens

Baltimore hasn’t put Lamar Jackson on the field in the first two preseason games, and it’s highly unlikely head coach John Harbaugh lets him see action Saturday.

But the Ravens are a little thin at the pivot position. Tyler Huntley, who won the backup spot, is expected to get almost all the action in this one. That’s because Trace McSorley is out with a back injury, while fourth-stringer Kenji Bahar was released. Huntley threw for 187 yards and an interception last week against the Panthers.

On this weeks episode of “How the heck did Tyler Huntley complete THAT pass…..”

I present this. #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/naUNQ94c5F

— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) August 22, 2021

Still, Baltimore continues to find success because their system hardly varies — regular season, playoffs or preseason.

First, they do it with defense. In their Week 1 win over the Saints, Baltimore forced six turnovers en route to a 17-14 win.

Against Carolina, they held their offense to a paltry 187 yards of offense, including just 33 on the ground.

Taysom Hill throws an INT 😳

(🎥: @Ravens) pic.twitter.com/Mzy1XZKUHb

— PFF (@PFF) August 14, 2021

Second, they wear out defenses by running the ball. They’re putting up 157.5 yards a game, trailing on the Patriots and 49ers.

J.K Dobbins and Gus Edwards are both expected to sit, while Justice Hill is injured, but they keep churning out yards. Rookie  Nate McCrary has rushed for 195 rushing yards, while Ty’Son Williams has 88 yards on the ground.

Their top three receivers: Marquise Brown, Rashod Bateman, and Sammy Watkins are all listed as questionable for this one as they deal with various injuries. The question of Jackson’s cohesion with his receiving core may be of concern come Week 1, but not necessarily for Saturday.

Washington’s Starters to Play

It’s been an anemic preseason offense by any metric for the Washington Football Team, and head coach Ron Rivera has said the his starters will play for as long as they need to in Week 3.

That means we should see some of presumed starter Ryan Fitzpatrick (though Rivera still hasn’t committed to naming Fitz the No. 1), trying to lead the first unit to their first touchdown of the preseason.

Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing “dgaf” passes to Dyami Brown all season is going to be the gift that keeps on giving pic.twitter.com/eKjSfNeYgZ

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) August 21, 2021

Even then, there’s a real battle for the backup position between Taylor Heineke and Kyle Allen, who both have NFL game experience and should still provide Washington the advantage against a less impactful Baltimore squad.

Heineke, last year’s starter for the Wild Card Playoff game, was 9-for-15 for 86 yards in their 22-13 loss to New England in Week 1.  He was 11-for-13 for 80 yards in their 17-13 win over Cincinnati.

https://twitter.com/SportsTalk_SEC/status/1348115070698606592

Allen, who started four games in 2020, has seen limited time this preseason after aggravating his surgically repaired ankle prior to their Week 1 game. He was just 2-for-4 for 23 yards against the Bengals.  As Heineke hasn’t exactly lit a defense on fire, this will be Allen’s best chance to make a case for the no. 2 job.

It’s questionable whether they’ll have  big-play receiver Curtis Samuel to throw to. Activated from the PUP list recently with a groin injury, Rivera said he’d like for the free agent pickup from Carolina to see some preseason action.

What’s the Best Bet?

The Ravens have been a treat to bettors this preseason, covering the spread in their two wins, while Washington has yet to cover in either of their games.

Even with few starters or impact players in this one, they’ll still be competitive and should be in line to set the new win mark.

But it’s the Ravens’ defense and the Washington offense that work in lock step to win you a pretty likely outcome – both teams have yet to go over the total in four total preseason games.

The pick: Under 32.5 points. (-110)