Ravens Open as 3-Point Favorites Over Visiting Chiefs on MNF Week 3
By Robert Duff in NFL Football
Updated: March 9, 2021 at 2:36 pm ESTPublished:
- The Baltimore Ravens open as 3-point home favorites over the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in their Week 3 Monday Night Football game
- Both Baltimore and Kansas City are 2-0 to start the season
- The Ravens have supplanted the Chiefs as the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl
There’s not much more someone could ask for in terms of entertainment and drama than what will be on the football field a week from Monday when the Baltimore Ravens play host the the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions. The Ravens posted the NFL’s best regular-season record (14-2) in 2019.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson is the reigning NFL MVP. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was the 2018 NFL MVP.
Both the Chiefs and Ravens will take the field boasting perfect 2-0 starts to the season. And the Chiefs might even do so with a chip on their collective shoulders.
After Sunday’s results, oddsmakers have installed the Ravens as +500 Super Bowl favorites, supplanting the Chiefs for the first time since Super Bowl odds were first posted.
Kansas City is the second choice in the Super Bowl betting market at +550.
The online sportsbooks also like the Ravens in this game. Baltimore is a 3-point favorite in the Chiefs vs Ravens odds.
 Chiefs vs Ravens Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | +133 | +3 (-110) | O 52.5 (-110) |
| Baltimore Ravens | -162 | -3 (-110) | U 52.5 (-110) |
Odds taken Sept. 20th from DraftKings.
KC has won the last three meetings with Baltimore.
Ravens Topple Texans
The Houston Texans have now faced both the Chiefs and Ravens and didn’t handle either affair effectively. Baltimore drilled Houston 33-16 on Sunday.
Go ahead @Lj_era8
Tune in on CBS! pic.twitter.com/RiKZ2g0xXH— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 20, 2020
In the Thursday night Week 1 season opener, the Chiefs rolled the Texans 34-20.
Baltimore covered as 7.5-point favorites. Kansas City also covered as the 9-point chalk.
Chiefs Dodge Chargers
Certainly, Kansas City’s performance in a 23-20 overtime win over the Los Angeles Chargers played a role in losing the favorite’s role in the Super Bowl future book.
The KC offense didn’t get into double digits on the scoreboard or over 200 yards in total offense until the fourth quarter. LA rookie QB Justin Herbert was giving the Chiefs defense fits.
Due to a penalty and a "ice the kicker timeout" @Chiefs K Harrison Butker kicked his game-winning field goal 3 times from distances of:
– 53 Yards Out
– 58 Yards Out
– 58 Yards OutHe made all 3 😱
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/Q4mnkbenVC
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 20, 2020
KC needed 11 fourth-quarter points and a 58-yard field goal in OT by Harrison Butker to get the win.
It was the first time in 11 games that the Chiefs (-8.5) failed to cover the spread.
Jackson vs Mahomes
As much as this game will be about the best teams in the AFC and perhaps in the NFL, it’s also about the last two league MVPs flexing on each other.
Last season, Mahomes, the reigning MVP, defeated 2017 NFL MVP Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 23-16.
Most games with 3+ TD Passes
(Since 2019)Lamar Jackson 9
Drew Brees 7
Patrick Mahomes 6
Dak Prescott 6But @Lj_era8 was just a runner? 🤔#RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/w38R4seGu5
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) September 14, 2020
This will be the third time that Jackson and Mahomes go head-to-head in the NFL. Last season, Mahomes completed 27-of-37 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns as KC won 33-28.
They each threw for two TDS in 2018 as KC won 27-24 in OT.
Expect A Shift Toward KC
The last time the Chiefs were underdogs was also on the road. It was that 23-16 win over the Patriots last season. Like Baltimore this time, New England was the 3-point chalk.
With Mahomes as QB, the Chiefs are 5-0-1 against the spread and 5-1-0 straight up as a road underdog. The Chiefs are 4-1 all-time SU at the Ravens.
Unbeaten Chiefs vs. unbeaten Ravens next Monday night…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 20, 2020
Baltimore is 4-3 both ATS and SU in its last seven games against Kansas City.
Since the start of last season, the Chiefs are 14-6-1 ATS. They’ve covered in more games over that span than any NFL team. Over that same time frame, the Ravens are just 3-5 ATS as a home favorite.
Look for the line to shorten for KC.
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
