Sports betting enthusiasts know that it takes more than a couple of months to turn around a losing franchise, but for fans the wait can be difficult. Fans of the Cleveland Browns were excited when legendary NFL head coach Mike Holgren took over as team president in the off-season. Now the waiting for a winning Browns team begins, and it may be more of a wait than fans had originally thought.The NFL betting experts picked the Baltimore Ravens to be one of the favorites to emerge from the AFC and perhaps find themselves in the AFC championship game. That hinged on the continuing development of quarterback Joe Flacco. In the offseason, the Ravens spent money on players such as wide receivers Donte Stallworth and Anquan Boldin to give Flacco more options to throw to. After the first two games of the season, it seems as though Flacco prefers to throw to opposing players rather than his own re-vamped offense.
In two games this season, Joe Flacco has already thrown five interceptions. Despite a lackluster performance in week one by the Baltimore offense, the Ravens won their opener against the New York Jets 10-9. But with a four interception performance in week two against the Cincinnati Bengals, and another uninspired showing by the Ravens offense, it may be time to start thinking about Marc Bulger running the Ravens offense.
The Ravens need to be careful that the NFL scores after week three are not deceiving. The Cleveland Browns defense is capable of giving up a big game to Flacco and the Baltimore offense, but that may not mean that all is right with the Ravens offense. Joe Flacco has looked indecisive, uninspired and confused playing in this Ravens offense this year. He holds the ball way too long, and many of his throwing decisions are ill-timed with his throws being off-target.
This week the NFL picks crowd will have to wait and see who plays quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Seneca Wallace played a respectable game against the Kansas City Chiefs in week two, but a lack of a running game seemed to hamper the Cleveland chances of putting points on the board. Starting quarterback Jake Delhomme is still nursing a bad ankle, but his status for week three is not yet known. Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy did not show anything in the preseason that would make him considered the starter over Seneca Wallace.
This Ravens defense will attack the Cleveland offense hard in this game. The Baltimore defense may be able to win this game on their own with points off turnovers and keeping the Browns down to a limited number of scoring chances. The only thing the Ravens defense may have to content with is their own offense giving the game away through turnovers.
The Ravens should win this game easily, but it is important that the Baltimore coaching staff not let a good showing in this game make them content that their offense is on the right track.
Pick: Baltimore Ravens 31-10
