Ravens vs. Raiders: Preview, score prediction for Week 5

Baltimore Ravens vs. Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Ravens are two teams trending in the wrong direction as they enter Week 5.

Both the Raiders and Ravens enter this game 2-2, having lost their last two games. The Raiders especially appear to be a team in crisis as they will be without franchise quarterback Derek Carr, who is expected to miss 2-6 weeks with a back injury suffered last week against the Denver Broncos. Former Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel will start for the team on Sunday.

As for the Ravens, the loss of star guard Marshal Yanda has proven huge. Their offense wasn’t explosive to begin with, but they’ve been anemic without their big man up front over the last two games.

Keys to Victory

The Ravens need to find a way to take advantage of Manuel, who has not started an NFL game since Week 7 of 2016. Baltimore appeared to have one of the best defenses in the league through the first two weeks of the season, allowing only 10 points and forcing 10 turnovers in those two games.

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However, in their two games since, they have allowed 70 points and only forced one turnover. With the season split, it is hard to know which version of the Ravens defense is the reality and which is the outlier. If the defense can step up in this game and perform to the level they proved capable in the first two weeks, Manuel and the Raiders will struggle to score.

In this matchup, the Raiders desperately need their skill position players to step up to make up for the loss of Carr. Over the last two weeks, star wide receiver Amari Cooper has a total of three receptions for 15 yards. Michael Crabtree, who had a three-touchdown performance in Week 2, only had a single reception for seven yards in Week 3. Crabtree did not play in Week 4 due to injury but should be ready for Sunday.

Cooper and Crabtree entered this season as one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL, but the Raiders depth at receiver is not deep enough to support a strong passing attack without them. If Carr has struggled over the last two weeks without Cooper and Crabtree, Manuel will only struggle worse.

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Oakland -3
Moneyline: Oakland -148, Baltimore +128
Over/Under: 39

All betting odds provided by BookMaker via the Sportsbook Review

Next: NFL 2017: Picks against the spread for Week 5

Prediction

Depending on the results the Raiders can get from Manuel, this game could feature one of the worst offensive matchups of the season. With both offenses struggling recently and neither defense being considered especially strong (depending on which Ravens team shows up to play) this game could be close. In the end, this could simply come down to home-field advantage. Since the start of 2016, the Oakland Raiders are 6-2 at home. Meanwhile, the Ravens are 3-7 on the road.

Final Score: Oakland Raiders: 13, Baltimore Ravens: 10