Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Chargers Betting Odds and Previews


With just two games left to go in the season, the playoff picture is starting to become clearer. Some teams are already looking ahead to the draft, but for teams that haven’t begun focusing on next year, each remaining game is crucial as it could determine whether they make the playoffs and what their path to the Super Bowl could look like. Saturday night’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers features two teams with Super Bowl aspirations – one that has already punched its ticket to the postseason and one that needs a win to have a shot.

The Baltimore Ravens sit a half-game behind their hated rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in the AFC North, and they need a win to keep pace if they want to win the division or have a shot at one of the Wild Card berths. The Ravens have a 41 percent chance of making the playoffs and a 30 percent chance of winning the division, but to do either, they’ll need to win out and get some help along the way. The Ravens have been led in recent weeks by rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has steered Baltimore to a 5-1 record in place of Joe Flacco, but it’s the defense that has really been the driving force of the team. The defense, which has stayed relatively healthy this season, ranks first in the NFL overall, giving up only 18.1 points per game, but will face a tough task stopping Chargers’ quarterback Phillip Rivers and the Los Angeles run game that will have a healthy Melvin Gordon in the backfield. But the Ravens hope Jackson and his offensive weapons will do their part in keeping the Chargers offense off the field as long as possible.

“We know how hard it is to get stops at the end and to win games and to finish,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “So, it means a lot to finish the game on offense, not put your defense back on the field. It means everything when you have the lead.”

The Chargers find themselves in a different position, having already clinched a playoff spot and are hoping to overtake their division rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, for the AFC West crown and a first-round bye. The Chargers’ offense is averaging 28.2 points thanks to Rivers, who has thrown 31 touchdowns to just eight interceptions on the year. Having Melvin Gordon back is also a boost for the team, which has won 11 out of their past 12 games, but the backfield could be without backup Austin Ekeler, who did not practice on Tuesday and is listed as questionable. Leading receiver Keenan Allen also missed practice this week and is questionable heading into Saturday evening.

The LA Chargers are looking like the favorites right now with a -4 -100 line with a comeback of +4 -110 for the Ravens. This game could blow up or be a low scoring game as the Under is at 43 ½ -220. Choose your bets wisely and head over to our NFL betting sportsbook to place your bets. Register Now or Login to continue.

Saturday Night will be only the 12th meeting between the two AFC teams, with the Ravens holding the slight edge with a 6-5 series lead. It will be the first time the teams meet since the 2015 season when the Ravens defeated the Chargers 29-26. The last three games have been close, with none of the games decided by more than three points, and on paper, with both teams playing their best football right now, Saturday could be another tight finish in this conference showdown.