The Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers collide in a battle of AFC heavyweights on Monday Night Football.
The pregame narrative: Los Angeles is dominating on both sides of the ball, which is more than I can say for Baltimore. I’m backing the Chargers to win as home underdogs behind a strong game from Justin Herbert. Additionally, I’m taking the over with two capable of offences doing battle.
Check out my Ravens vs. Chargers same-game parlay predictions for Week 12 below.
Ravens vs. Chargers same-game parlay predictions
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Parlay: Chargers moneyline + Herbert over 255.5 passing yards + Over 43.5 points (+340)
Chargers moneyline (+130): Jim and John Harbaugh square off for the first time since Super Bowl 47.
John bested Jim in that contest but I expect the latter to beat the former this time around.
Los Angeles is playing excellently on both sides of the field. The Chargers rank seventh in yards per play across their last three games (6.2) and are tied for seventh in opponent yards per play (5.0) in the same stretch.
Baltimore’s offence is fantastic, as it ranks second in points per game (30.4) and first in yards per play (7.0). Defensively, however, this team has been a disaster. The Ravens are 24th in points against per game (24.6) and 19th in opponent yards per play (5.5).
Their defence could take a significant hit, too, with the potential absence of Roquan Smith. Smith didn’t practice at all this week and is listed as questionable for Monday Night Football.
Bet on L.A. to come up with the timely stop and win this game as a home underdog in primetime.
Other parlay picks
Herbert over 255.5 passing yards (-113): The Chargers have undergone a philosophical shift since their Week 5 bye.
They started the year as a team that wanted to run the ball often under the hard-nosed Jim Harbaugh. Herbert’s ankle injury only furthered his willingness to take the ball out of his quarterback’s hands.
With Herbert’s health improving and Harbaugh gaining more trust in his rockstar QB, the team has relied heavily on his arm to win ball games.
And Herbert hasn’t disappointed.
Here’s a look at his pre-and-post-bye splits from this season:
| Timeframe | Yards/game | Yards/attempt | Attempts/game |
| Pre-bye | 144.5 | 6.4 | 22.8 |
| Post-bye | 268.0 | 8.7 | 31.0 |
Herbert is averaging more than what this line asks of him across his last six games as his volume and efficiency increase significantly.
He should have a field day against a Ravens defence that hasn’t been able to stop anybody through the air. They’re surrendering the most passing yards per game (304.5) to opposing QBs, according to Yahoo Fantasy.
This is the game for prop bettors to get behind Herbert.
Over 43.5 points (-278): Lastly, I’m taking the over on this teased-down total.
A shift from a run-first offence to a pass-first offence has resulted in higher point totals from Los Angeles. It has scored 26-plus points in four consecutive contests.
That trend should continue against a Baltimore defence that struggles to contain opposing offences. It’s allowed 24.2 points per game across its last six outings.
The Ravens’ all-offence, no-defence approach has been very conducive to overs hitting. They’ve gone over their game total in nine of 11 games.
I expect them to blow through this number in the climate-controlled SoFi Stadium.
Picks made at 12:48 p.m. on 11/24/24.
Stevie’s an avid NFL, NHL, and tennis bettor who has no problem talking himself into the underdog. His previous stops include Yahoo! Sports Canada and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he received a degree in Sport Media.