Aaron Rodgers acknowledged that Sunday could be his last NFL game
Aaron Rodgers discusses the possibility of Sunday being his last NFL game.
Sports Seriously
The Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns are squaring off on Saturday to kickstart the final week of the NFL’s 2024 regular season. The contest may ultimately decide the winner of the AFC North.
The Ravens have the inside track to win the divisional race. They need only to win or tie against the Browns to finish with a better record than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are playing on Saturday night. A Baltimore loss would open the door for Pittsburgh to make a comeback, but that doesn’t seem likely.
The Ravens are favored by 20 over the Browns, according to odds from BetMGM Sportsbook. This comes with Cleveland having nothing for which to play besides draft positioning and with the team planning to get a look at both Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe at quarterback in the season finale.
The Ravens have the motivational edge in this game, so it will be safer for bettors to back their players when exploring prop bets and anytime touchdown scorers for Week 18.
What are the best bets today for the Ravens vs. Browns game? Here are the top prop and TD bets to consider for the Week 18 divisional matchup.
All odds are via BetMGM as of Friday.
It won’t be easy to trust many members of the Browns in this contest, given that Thompson-Robinson and Zappe may both see playing time at quarterback. That said, Jeudy has been one of the most explosive receivers in the NFL this season, so he should be able to eclipse this low yardage total.
Jeudy did his best work in Jameis Winston‘s seven starts, averaging 9.9 targets, seven catches and 112.3 receiving yards per game. He put up just 20 yards in Thompson-Robinson’s first start but bounced back with a more-than-respectable 12 catches and 94 yards against the Miami Dolphins in Week 17.
Granted, much of Jeudy’s production came with the Browns already down big to the Dolphins, but they will likely be in a similar situation against the Ravens. Baltimore has also allowed the fourth-most yards to opposing wide-outs this season, so this seems like a solid spot for Jeudy, regardless of the team’s quarterback situation. The only question is how much the Browns will play their star receiver in a meaningless game for the team.
The Browns are a strange team against the run. They have a below-average rushing defense that allows 124.1 yards per game, which is good for 19th in the NFL, but they have allowed the 10th-least rushing yards to running backs this season.
Still, Henry is a good bet to go over his rushing total. He only had 11 carries in the Ravens’ 29-24 loss to the Browns in Week 8, but he still racked up 73 yards on those totes, good for 6.6 yards per carry. If Henry sees his typical volume in this game, he should have a good chance to close the season with a third straight 100-yard rushing game.
For those worried that Henry might not get his normal volume, consider that his top backup, Justice Hill, missed last week’s game because of a concussion. Even if he plays this week, the Ravens may want to ease him back into action. That should allow Henry to earn the lion’s share of the running back work, so long as this doesn’t turn into a blowout too early.
Entering Week 18, a total of 33 NFL quarterbacks have attempted at least 250 passes this season. Among them, Jackson has thrown the second-fewest interceptions, with four total. Only Justin Herbert (3) has been better than him.
It doesn’t seem likely that Jackson will toss a pick against the Browns either. Cleveland has a league-low three interceptions during the 2024 NFL season and their top cornerback Denzel Ward, who has two of them, may not be in action for Week 18 due to a shoulder injury.
Jackson attempted just 15 passes against the Houston Texans in Week 17. If the Ravens go with another run-heavy game plan in this spot, he may not have many chances to throw interceptions, so this seems like the safe bet and an ideal one to include in Same-Game Parlays.
The Browns had a really hard time containing Flowers in their first matchup of the season. The Pro Bowl wide-out caught 11 of 12 targets for 115 yards. He didn’t find the end-zone in that contest, but Nelson Agholor did, highlighting that quicker receivers can beat Cleveland.
The Browns have allowed 19 receiving touchdowns to wide receivers this season. That’s tied for the third-most in the NFL behind only the Atlanta Falcons (21) and the Texans (20), so this is a good opportunity for Flowers to find the end zone for the first time since Week 11.
