Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Vegas Play of the Day: Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Vincent Jackson

Gene Puskar / AP

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson (83) makes a catch in front of Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback William Gay (22) for a touchdown with 7 seconds left in the fourth quarter Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014, in Pittsburgh. The Buccaneers won 27-24.

Talking Points bet of the week

Week 6: 49ers at Rams

What's your pick in the Sun's handicapping game of the week? (Public Opinion This Season: 2-4)
49ers minus-3.5 — 82.1%
Rams plus-3.5 — 17.9%

This poll is closed, see Full Results »

Note: This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

The pressure is on.

Four straight losses, including two horrible beats but I’ll spare you the details, have me clinging to stay above the starting bankroll of $10,000 in the South Point-presented Play of the Day. One more loss, and the profit is all gone.

Baltimore Ravens minus-3.5 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $440 to win $400

You would have seen a huge boost in my bet sizing if South Point still had this game at minus-3. At least I locked that price in for personal purposes and in my weekly column picking every game.

Even at 3.5, this still might be my favorite play on the board. With two straight covers, the Buccaneers have earned at least enough respect from the betting market to keep this game from drawing completely lopsided action, as it would have a few weeks ago.

Tampa Bay hasn’t improved enough to justify its heightened perception. Its last two opponents, the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints, have something in common: They’re both mediocre against the pass.

Having also played in the second half against porous Atlanta, that means Tampa Bay quarterback Mike Glennon hasn’t seen one decent secondary yet this season. He’ll get one with Baltimore.

The Ravens don’t have a superstar like Richard Sherman or J.J. Watt, so their defense tends to get overlooked. But they have an exceptional collective unit, ranking fifth in Football Outsiders’ DVOA ratings.

The offense has also improved drastically last season with Justin Forsett breathing life into a dormant running game. Baltimore is a bet-on team starting here.

Standings: Bern (47-43-1, $10,651), Keefer (44-48, $10,101), Brewer (42-48-3, $5,805)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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