The NFL season opens late on Thursday night when the Baltimore Ravens travel to Denver to take on the Broncos in a repeat of last season's epic AFC divisional playoff series which the Ravens won 38-35.
The Broncos are currently 7.5 point favourites at 10/11 with the Ravens +7.5 being 20/23.
There have been numerous changes to the Ravens roster for the new season in comparison to the one which won the Super Bowl last season. Stars such as Ray Lewis, Bernard Pollard, Ed Reed have left but reinforcements have arrived in the shape of Chris Canty, Elvis Dumervil and Michael Huff. Add to this a successful draft and the Ravens are not in as bad a shape as many would have you believe.
The line for this game actually started out at Denver -9 but has now come all the way into -7.5. A substantial show of the belief that bettors have in the Ravens, well on the handicap at least.
The Broncos have also made additions to their roster, the most high-profile of which is Wes Welker who arrives from the New England Patriots, where he was one of Tom Brady's go-to targets over the years. He will now look to do the same for Peyton Manning. One major factor going into this game could be the suspension of Broncos linebacker, Von Miller, who is a key cog in their defence. Miller is suspended for 6 games due to substance abuse.
The Broncos are rightly favoured in this game but perhaps by too much on the handicap, possibly due to the Ravens roster turnover being an overrated factor.
Take the Ravens plus the points.
Recommended bet:
Baltimore Ravens +7.5
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