The Daily Sweat: Ravens' unbelievable preseason winning streak on the line Monday
The Baltimore Ravens clearly care a bit about winning in the preseason. They've done it 24 times in a row.
Yet, there also seems to be some randomness to their NFL-record preseason winning streak. Baltimore didn't play starters last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, yet they still won, 20-19. It's not like they've been playing Lamar Jackson four quarters to keep the streak alive.
Yet, since a loss in 2015, the Ravens always come out on top in the preseason. One of the weirdest streaks in sports is on the line Monday when the Ravens take on the Washington Commanders. The Ravens are 1.5-point road favorites at BetMGM. That line has moved from Ravens -3 when it opened last week.
Jackson won't play again. Josh Johnson and Anthony Brown will each play a half, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. Tyler Huntley is out with a hamstring injury. The Ravens and Commanders had joint practices last week, and for many teams that means starters sit for the game. The Commanders didn't announce if starters would play or how much, but coach Ron Rivera did say starting quarterback Sam Howell would play, via the team's site. Usually if a starting quarterback plays, at least the starting offensive line will too.
The Ravens like winning in the preseason and clearly take some pride in keeping that streak alive, but it's not like they're even using starters to extend it. Maybe the backups can bring home a Ravens win. Again.
Here's a first look at the sports betting slate on Monday:
MLB has 10 games
There are 10 games on the Major League Baseball schedule, and not many great matchups. MLB betting after the trade deadline often features big favorites, and there are plenty on Monday.
The best game on Monday is probably the San Francisco Giants at the Philadelphia Phillies. They're the No. 1 and 2 teams in the NL wild-card standings, after the division winners. The Phillies are -175 favorites with Aaron Nola on the mound.
The Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros face off as well. Houston is in a wild-card spot in the AL and the Red Sox are three games out of a playoff spot. Houston is a -135 favorite.
Arsenal-Crystal Palace in EPL
There is one English Premier League match on Monday. Arsenal is a -135 favorite on the three-way line. The draw is +270 and Crystal Palace is +350.
What's the best bet?
I'm going to take the Ravens to lose in the preseason for the first time in eight years. I don't like going against streaks, but this one is getting a bit fluky. Kudos to John Harbaugh (I guess) for having a culture of winning in place even in the preseason, but this streak won't last forever. Give me the Commanders.
