NFL Week 17 Betting - Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders Odds

The Baltimore Ravens control their playoff destiny in NFL week 17 betting on Sunday at 4:15pm EST as they play against the Oakland Raiders on CBS. If they win, the Ravens are in, but if they lose a number of other teams will be brought into the mix. The Ravens had a chance to clinch a playoff spot last week but lost at Pittsburgh in a game in which they committed 11 penalties for 113 yards. The Ravens don’t intend to let another chance to make the playoffs slip through their fingers. The NFL odds makers tend to agree as Baltimore is a 10.5-point favorite in week 17 with a total of 38 at online sportsbooks.

The Ravens would seem to be in a good position against the Raiders but Oakland has shown the ability to step up and win games against top teams this season. They have already beaten Cincinnati and Pittsburgh this NFL betting season. Last week though the Raiders did not play well in a 23-9 loss to Cleveland. Quarterback Charlie Frye threw three interceptions and the Raiders committed 13 penalties. This game could be won or lost on the ground. The Ravens will look to pound the ball with Ray Rice who was just elected to the Pro Bowl. He should find some running room against an Oakland defense that ranks 29th in the league against the run. Rice is second in the league behind Tennessee's Chris Johnson with 1,952 yards from scrimmage. "Ray gets better all the time," head coach Jim Harbaugh said.

"He's taken a lot of reps throughout the course of the season, so to me, Ray's just getting stronger as the season goes on." Rice had 155 total yards in Baltimore’s win last year at home 29-10 over the Raiders. The Ravens are 13-4 vs. the NFL odds in their last 17 games as a favorite but they are just are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games in January. The Ravens are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games as a road favorite in NFL betting odds. The Ravens are 5-1 in their last 6 meetings against Oakland. The Raiders are 10-22 in NFL betting in their last 32 games as a home underdog. The Raiders are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games heading into week 17. The Under is 3-0-1 in the Ravens last 4 road games. The Under is 10-3 in the Ravens last 13 games as a favorite. The Under is 4-1-1 in the last 6 meetings between the two teams.

Gordon's NFL Week 17 Betting Picks: The Ravens have had such an up and down season, it's hard to handicap them for any NFL betting game. The one of the few positive betting trends for Baltimore is that they are 4-1 against the spread on the road against Oakland and 7-3 on grass this year. With the playoffs in the horizon, my NFL week 17 betting pick for Sunday's game will be to take Ravens on the road laying the points to the UNDER. Vegas odds at the MGM Mirage sportsbook have the Baltimore Ravens -10.5 favorites against the Oakland Raiders with a total of 38.