We have another set of playoff games for Sunday and the wild card round is concluded. The Los Angeles Chargers will travel to face the Baltimore Ravens in what should be an interesting game nonetheless. The game kicks off at 10:05 a.m. PT on CBS, with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo in the booth. Tracy Wolfson will be on the sideline.
My foot is firmly in my mouth on the Chargers. I said, “The Chargers won’t be good this year [direct quote].” I admit to how stupid that sounded and am eating my crow. They are on the road thanks to losing a tiebreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs. They sit at 11-5 and are dangerous. They have a decent run game (that is getting healthy again) and offensive weapons. Anthony Lynn has proven to be the answer for the Chargers at head coach turning them around and getting them to the playoffs in two season. It’s not surprising given that Lynn has been reported to have some amazing interviews in head coaching circles, but his experience was always a question. Unfortunately, the Chargers travel to the east coast and play one of those brutal morning games.
The Ravens on the other hand were ready to move on from John Harbaugh and go into the season continuing a rebuild. That all got stopped when Lamar Jackson stepped in for Joe Flacco at quarterback and ran a read-option of sorts that the Ravens are scrambling to put together. Running back Gus Edwards has broken out as well and the two have transformed the Ravens offense not unlike the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. The Ravens were sitting at 4-5 before going into their bye and lost only one more game after returning.
The Ravens opened as a field goal favorite, and the line really has not moved much since then at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. There has been a lot of public money on LA, which suggests some professional money has kept the line from moving. Given that the Chargers had to travel to the east coast, I want to take the Ravens, but I also think this act of Lamar Jackson’s is up and the Chargers will put a stop to it. I’ll take the Chargers by a field goal.
Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
When: January 6, 2018 | 10:05 a.m. PT
TV: CBS
Announcers: Jim Nantz (play by play), Tony Romo (commentary), Tracy Wolfson (sideline)
Radio: Chargers Radio| Ravens Radio
Online Streaming: CBS Sports HQ
Odds: Ravens, -3
Ravens blog: Baltimore Beatdown
Chargers blog: Bolts from the Blue