Ravens vs. Bills Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Sunday Night Football Week 1
A marquee rematch of last January's AFC Divisional Game clash awaits in this first Sunday Night Football showdown of the new season. The Ravens and Bills have traded blows pretty evenly throughout their history, with Baltimore holding a 7-6 series lead all-time.
With Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen in their prime, there's always a high probability of a wire-to-wire affair any time these two teams get together. Given the 27-25 playoff barn burner that Buffalo prevailed in the last time these two teams met, a close game seems to be in order.
With a strong possibility of a highly competitive game, we break down odds and best bets.
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Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills Betting Odds
*Best lines at time of writing listed
- Moneyline: Ravens -117 (BetRivers)/ Bills +105 (DraftKings)
- Point spread: Ravens -1 (BetRivers)/ Bills +1.5 (DraftKings)
- Totals: Over 50.5 points (BetMGM)/ Under 50.5 points (ESPN Bet)
The Bills have bounced between narrow underdogs and narrow favorites over the last week and a half, with their line ranging anywhere from -1.5 to +1.5, where it seems to have settled a little over 24 hours prior to kickoff. Further movement is naturally possible given the kickoff time, especially given Buffalo will be at full strength at offense after Keon Coleman was cleared of any injury designation going into the weekend.
In contrast, the total has had a lot more stability, as it's been on a firm but modest downward trajectory. The number sat at 51.5 just under two weeks ago after the preseason finale, and it's declined a full point to a still-robust 50.5.
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Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills Betting Picks This Week
This heavyweight fight pits two dynamic quarterbacks with an above-average array of skill-position assets, and it features to two coaching staffs and teams very familiar with one another. Baltimore and Buffalo have met four times over the four calendar years spanning Jan. 2021-2025 despite not being in the same division, as there have been two playoff clashes in that sample.
Buffalo's aforementioned two-point win in January was a game that was partly decided by a critical two-point conversion drop by the normally reliable Mark Andrews in the fourth quarter. The razor-thin margin of victory for the hosts underscored the similar talent on both teams, but it's the Bills who come in slightly healthier this time around. With Coleman cleared of his groin issue, Buffalo don't have a single injury tag saddling any starter on either side of the ball.
In contrast, Isaiah Likely, Andrews' position mate, is already ruled out due to the foot fracture he suffered earlier this summer. The same holds true for massive fullback Patrick Ricard (calf), essentially an extra offensive lineman and key component of Baltimore's normally elite rushing attack led by Jackson and Derrick Henry. While Henry obviously is able to run through plenty of defenders without the help of a bulldozer like Ricard in front of him, there's no question the big fullback's absence will affect the Ravens against an athletic and versatile defensive front like the Bills'.
Baltimore added talented but oft-injured Jaire Alexander to a secondary that did limit Allen to just 127 yards passing in January's playoff game but that also surrendered 267.0 passing yards and per game and 11.2 yards per completion on the road in the regular season and postseason in 2024. Baltimore's secondary remains replete with big names, but given the Ravens were the NFL's toughest team to run on last regular season/postseason with just 80.9 rushing yards per contest allowed, Allen figures to throw plenty and now has more field-stretching components in a more experienced Coleman and offseason addition Joshua Palmer.
As is the case with all matchups involving evenly matched teams with Super Bowl aspirations, this is a tough call in terms of predicting an outcome. However, it's certainly reasonable to expect the Bills to keep any loss to a very small margin, so I'm stretching out the spread by an additional point with FD's Alt. Spread option and then banking on Allen to be a bit more aggressive than usual through the air against the Ravens.
Ravens vs Bills Best Bets:
- Bills Alt. Spread +2.5 (-158 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Josh Allen Over 229.5 Passing Yards (-114 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Ravens vs. Bills Prediction
Bills 27, Ravens 24
As already mentioned, these are two proud but frustrated franchises for which playoff appearances no longer suffice. Each club is hungry to capitalize on the current championship window afforded them by their elite quarterbacks, and even though it's Week 1, both squads figure to treat this showdown with the urgency of a late-season or postseason battle. As such, this should be a battle of wills for 60 minutes, but I'll give the slight edge to the home squad.
