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Ravens vs. Commanders Preseason Predictions, Picks & Odds: Monday Night Football

Andrew Brennan

Last Updated: August 21, 2023 5:57 PM EDT • 3 min 56 sec read.

Wide receiver Zay Flowers of the Baltimore Ravens warms up before the start of a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and we preview the Ravens vs. Commanders game with our best odds and picks.
Wide receiver Zay Flowers of the Baltimore Ravens warms up before the start of a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images via AFP.

The Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders conclude Week 2 of the NFL preseason on Monday Night Football in what's expected to be a tightly contested affair. Here are our Ravens vs. Commanders predictions based on the best NFL odds from our best sports betting apps.

The Baltimore Ravens put their 24-game preseason winning streak on the line Monday when they visit the Commanders in Washington. The Ravens' offense will look to continue to mesh under new coordinator Todd Monken, who's taking over for Greg Roman after an underwhelming 2022 campaign.

Monken has plenty of talent to work with this season, and some of it is sure to be featured on Monday. Rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers continues to captivate fans with his dominance in practice, and he'll look to make an impact in this contest following a quiet Week 1.

Will the Ravens make it 25 straight preseason wins, or will the Commanders finally beat the streak?

Here is our best Ravens vs. Commanders prediction for Monday Night Football (odds via our best NFL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Ravens vs. Commanders prediction: Monday Night Football

Ravens -1.5 (-104 via BetRivers)

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The Ravens are set to turn to their third- and fourth-string quarterbacks in their Week 2 preseason affair with the Commanders. Head coach John Harbaugh said Josh Johnson and Anthony Brown will play a half each after second-string signal-caller Tyler Huntley missed practice all week due to a hamstring injury. However, I still like the total package the Ravens offer in this game.

Baltimore held the Philadelphia Eagles to just 19 points in Week 1, limiting the running back trio of Rashaad Penny, D'Andre Swift, and Trey Sermon to 79 yards on 20 carries. Throughout the Ravens' outrageous 24-game preseason winning streak, it's been the defense that's carried the load. Baltimore has allowed just 280 points in those contests, an average of only 11.67 per game.

Now, most of those numbers barely matter, as the streak dates back to 2016. However, it's indicative of the intensity Ravens players perform with during the preseason.

In reality, there's very little real data to reference for preseason action. So, let's turn our attention to some of the narratives surrounding this game. Perhaps the most headline-catching story is the ascension of rookie wideout Flowers. He's reportedly impressed teammates throughout training camp, and he was most recently seen torching Commanders defensive backs in joint practice this week.

Flowers could emerge as Lamar Jackson's No. 1 target this season despite the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. and the continued growth of Rashod Bateman, who enters his third season in the NFL. I expect Flowers to expand upon his quiet Week 1 showing and make at least a couple of plays that show up all over your social media feeds.

Meanwhile, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera named Sam Howell the team's starting quarterback following his impressive performance in Week 1. Howell went 9-for-12 for 77 yards and a touchdown, and he's been showing off his mobility and awareness throughout practice this week.

Washington's offense could be much improved in 2023 with the introduction of Eric Bieniemy as the coordinator. However, the Commanders struggled to run the ball efficiently in their Week 1 win over the Cleveland Browns, so it'll be interesting to see how they respond with Bieniemy coming from the dynamic Kansas City Chiefs pass-first offense.

In the end, it's the Ravens' energy and effort that has me most intrigued in backing them to cover the spread. It's a team that enters the season with Super Bowl aspirations, so every player will be fighting to make the roster of a championship contender. On the other hand, the Commanders are more or less trying to discover their identity with a new, young quarterback.

As the spread at our best sports betting sites suggests, it should be a tightly contested game, but the Ravens will make it 25 wins in a row with a fairly comfortable victory on Monday Night Football.

Get even better value on this pick with our BetRivers promo code for Ravens vs. Commanders.

Ravens vs. Commanders best odds

BetRivers (-104)

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsbet365
-1 (-110)-1.5 (-110)-1 (-110)-1 (-110)-1 (-110)

BetRivers' -104 price on -1.5 is the only one among those at our best sportsbooks that is better than Pinnacle's number (-109).

Four of our five listed sportsbooks have the spread set at an even -1, which is tempting given the fact that the Ravens won their last game by just a single point. However, I prefer getting the longer odds and sacrificing the half-point of safety.

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Ravens vs. Commanders odds

Ravens vs. Commanders odds analysis

This line opened with the Ravens at -3.5 before moving to -4.5 at most of our best sportsbooks. However, the news of Huntley's absence likely played a major role in the spread moving in Washington's favor, and, as previously mentioned, the Ravens are only 1-point favorites.

The total opened at 38.5 at the majority of our best sportsbooks and has moved slightly, ranging from 37.5 to that opening number.

Our BetMGM bonus code and bet365 bonus code can help make sure you're getting the best possible odds on this matchup.

Ravens vs. Commanders game info for Monday Night Football

  • Date: Monday, Aug. 21, 8 p.m. ET
  • TV: ESPN
  • Location: FedEx Field, Landover, MD
  • Weather: 90 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation, 5-mph winds

Ravens-Commanders picks made 8/20/2023 at 1 p.m. ET

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Written By:
Andrew Brennan
Andrew Brennan is a publishing editor for Sportsbook Review. He's been a Boston Red Sox fan for over 20 years and a Liverpool supporter for nearly a decade. He's probably watching, talking about, or thinking about sports while you read this.