Baltimore Ravens Favored Over The Carolina Panthers

Aug 22, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) is rushed from the pocket by Baltimore Ravens linebacker D.J. Bryant (49) and linebacker John Simon (47) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas odds for week four of the NFL season are in, and it’s a clean sweep that unanimously has the Baltimore Ravens favored over the Carolina Panthers. It’s a bit surprising, but completely understandable following the Panther’s crushing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday night.

Carolina’s typically suffocating defense gave up an astonishing 264 yards rushing (7.8 avg!!!) in a 37-19 shellacking. We tend to ignore games that buck trends, however, and this is a classic example of one.

Both teams stand at 2-1 heading into week four and are looking to keep pace in what are two of the tougher and more competitive divisions in football – the NFC South and the AFC North. Both teams are stout along the defensive line and feature some of the NFL’s best linebackers.

And both like to run the football as much as possible. The Panthers are down two of their backs, however, with Mike Tolbert on short term I.R. and Jonathan Stewart out for Sunday. In spite of the injuries and the odds, we believe this game is a hard one to predict as both teams are ripe with talent.

Here is the breakdown of how each Vegas outlet predicts the outcome of Sunday’s game.