Baltimore Ravens Vs Carolina Panthers Predictions, Odds, Preview 08/21/2021

Game Time: 4:00 pm ET,Saturday, August 21st, 2021

Venue:  Bank Of America Stadium

Where to Watch:  NFL Network

Ravens:  1-0 (AFC North)
Panthers:  0-1 (NFC South)

Bet365:  Spread: Ravens -3; Over/Under 35.5 points
BetMGM:  Spread:  Ravens -3.5; Over/Under 35 points

Ravens:  Marlon Humphrey CB (lower body) Questionable,  Iman Marshall CB (knee) Out

Panthers:  Robbie Anderson WR (hamstring) Questionable, Troy Pride Jr CB  (knee)  Out

Ravens:

Lamar Jackson  QB

J.K. Dobbins  RB

Marquise Brown  WR1

Sammy Watkins  WR2

Rashod Bateman  WR3

Mark Andrews  TE

Ronnie Stanley  LT

Ben Powers  LG

Bradley Bozeman  C

Kevin Zeitler  RG

Alejandro  Villanueva  RT

Panthers:

Sam Darnold QB

Christian McCaffrey RB

Robby Anderson WR1

DJ Moore  WR2

Terrace Marshall JR  WR3

Dan Arnold   TE

Cameron Irving  LT

Pat Elfein  LG

Matt Patadis  C

John Miller  RG

Taylor Moton  RT

Coaches:

Ravens: John Harbaugh

Panthers: Matt Ruhle (rookie NFL coach)

In 2020 the Baltimore Ravens were 11-5.  Superstar QB Lamar Jackson had a bout with Covid or two.. Hopefully he stays available to shine in the regular season.  They started out great last season winning 5 of their first six against teams like the Cleveland Browns and the Houston Texans.  The rough patch in the regular season started with  a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which ended up being a 5 game stretch that they went 1-5.  Losing to the New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, and AGAIN to the Steelers.  They then hit a real soft patch of schedule beating: Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals (after Burrows went down), New York Giants, Cleveland again, and Jacksonville Jaguars.  They were firing on all cylinders!   They beat the Titans in the divisional round of the playoffs… they quietly got stomped by Josh Allen and his Buffalo Bills… The Ravens only put up 3 points, let alone a fight.  The Ravens defense should still be strong.

In 2020 the Carolina Panthers were 5-11.  Woeful, miserable, bottom of the barrel… so they went out and traded for Quarterback Sam Darnold.  You know, the USC product who has been lighting it up for the New York Jets!... I mean when he doesn’t have Mononucleosis, or a sore knee, or throws a bunch of interceptions,... anyway the kid still has lots of promise.   He wasn’t with the Panthers when they lost to the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Bucs, and Atlanta Falcons.  They got blanked by the whole NFC South… betting odds say they will again too.

In 2020 Lamar Jackson had 2,757 passing yards for the Ravens, he also led them in rushing with 1,005 rushing yards.  That’s an amazing feat considering several starting running backs didn’t break 1000 yards last season.  Lamar can scramble.  Marquise Brown WR had 769 receiving yards, Patrick Queen LB led the Defense with 106 tackles

 Last season Teddy Bridgewater was the Panthers starting quarterback with 3,733 passing yards, Mike Davis rushed for 642 yards, DJ Moore grabbed 1,193 receiving yards.  

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NFL Preseason games are not about the Starters.  They are about the rosters.  Preseason football is used to debut rookies and free agents and get them up to speed with the playbook.  The coaches are supposed to take a look at what he has, what he wants, and what he can compromise on.  No Super Bowl was ever won because the team looked tough in Aug.  The starters will take a few snaps (not Lamar just in general), then hand the job off to the back-ups.  No one worries about the final score.  If the 3rd string scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter the coach only cares if it was because they ran his play properly.  No one cares… except smart gamblers.  Vegas takes the action and you have to know things like: Will Matt Rhule try harder than John Harbaugh to win a meaningless game? (yes)... will Matt Rhule leave his starters in too long because he is green and naturally insecure?... (yes).. Does Harbaugh care when Lamar is out with Covid and the games don’t count?..( only enough to judge the roster hopefuls).

"He's got that alpha mentality You guys saw that out there today. He's right in the middle of everything. He's vocal. He's tough. A lot of guys can be vocal and not back it up. Jaycee's a guy who backs it up. He's the real deal when it comes to that.''  -Panthers GM Scott Fitterer about Panthers first round pick Jaycee Horn.

"Really that’s the No. 1 thing for a quarterback is the win-loss column,...That’s the stat that matters the most.”  -Greg Roman Ravens Offensive Coordinator about Tyler Huntley winning the backup job behind Lamar jackson.  A position of great importance in the Ravens organization because Lamar has had Covid twice in 8 months and was still non-committal about getting vaccinated.

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