Playoff Implications On The Line As Ravens Meet Packers On MNF

NFL News - December 1st, 2009 - Written by John

So Monday Night Football won't feature an undefeated team, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty on the line. The Baltimore Ravens aim to continue their momentum after a crucial overtime win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, when they battle the Green Bay Packers, who are also fighting for their playoff lives.

At 7-4, the Packers are favored at home by three points, according to the NFL Week 13 Betting Odds, with a total of 44. Green Bay has split it's other two MNF games, beating the Chicago Bears in the season-opener, then falling to the Minnesota Vikings in Week Four. Odds courtesy of BetUS Sportsbook.

The Baltimore Ravens have fared better in primetime games, and this week will be their third in a row. In Week Ten, Baltimore beat the Cleveland Browns 16-0, then came back with the aforementioned 20-17 win over the Steelers in overtime last week. Baltimore caught a huge break in the game when Paul Kruger picked off Pittsburgh's Dennis Dixon in overtime, leading to a 29-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff. It allowed them to hang around in the "teams in the mix" category for one of the two wild card spots in the AFC. Before that, last year's AFC runner-up had lost five of their last seven, including a devastating loss to the Indianapolis Colts where Ed Reed fumbled away a punt return at the tail end.

Ray Rice has become an elite option in the backfield, rushing for 821 yards, and is projected to reach 1,000 in just his second season.

But the Green Bay Packers know a thing or two about rebounding as well. It was widely reported that after losing to Tampa Bay, handing the Buccaneers their first and only win of the year, many prominent Packers players gathered in an impromptu meeting to discuss the direction of the team. Since then, it's been nothing but victories, winning three-straight, including a dismantling of the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

Aaron Rodgers has 3,136 yards over the last three weeks, and has turned the ball over but seven times. The defenses has only allowed an average of just over 13 points in that span, including a seven-point stumping of the Dallas Cowboys. Rodgers is the third-rated passer in the league, and Ryan Grant is seventh with 890 rushing yards.

Although this could turn into a defensive showdown, every indication from recent history suggests it will be a shootout. Baltimore has hit the over in eight of their last 11 games as the underdog, and eight of their last 10 MNF games.

Meanwhile, Green Bay has hit the over in 12 of it's last 14 games as a home favorite, and is 24-11-1 hitting the over in it's last 36 overall.

The Ravens drilled the Packers in their most recent meeting, 48-3, late in 2005. But Green Bay owns the all-time series, 5-2, including four-straight from '95-'01, the early part coming when the franchise was still in Cleveland.