Ravens head to Atlanta

The Ravens head to Atlanta Thursday night for a showdown between two top-tier Super Bowl contenders. The Falcons are +1,000 and the Ravens +700 to win the Super Bowl, according to Bodog.com’s current futures odds.

Baltimore (6-2, 4-3-1 ATS) arrives having won two straight with a bye week sandwiched in between victories over Miami and Buffalo. Last week’s 26-10 win over the Dolphins was perhaps the Ravens’ most complete game of the season.

Running back Ray Rice got untracked with 180 total yards, allowing Baltimore to control the football. The Ravens owned a ridiculous 17-minute advantage in time of possession and limited Miami to only 53 plays.

The Falcons (6-2, 6-2 ATS) weren’t quite as sharp in their win over Tampa Bay last week. They allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown and needed late goal-line stand to put away the scrappy Bucs.

Star wide out Roddy White sustained what he called a bruised knee and left the game momentarily. He would return but sat out practice Monday and Tuesday. White told reporters Tuesday that he would play against the Ravens.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is 17-1 at home and will be facing a fellow third-year QB in Baltimore’s Joe Flacco.

The two teams have not met since 2006, a 24-10 Ravens’ win in Atlanta.

The line

The old Las Vegas oddsmaker joke about having to make someone the favorite so the squares know who to bet on seems to apply here. The Falcons opened as 1-point favorites at most outlets. The number had not budged as of Wednesday afternoon.

When facing a team with comparable talent, playing on the road hasn’t affected the Ravens much. They are 18-6-2 ATS in their last 26 games as a road underdog of three points or less. In addition, the Falcons’ home-field advantage has not helped against quality teams that play well on the road, like the Ravens. Atlanta is 8-19-1 ATS at home against a team with a winning record on the road.

The total

The total opened up at 43.5, with a random 44 out there on Wednesday.

The Falcons score 24.5 and allow 19.2 points per game. The Ravens score 21.9 and allow 17.4 points per game.

The under is 9-1-1 in the Ravens last 11 road games and 13-6-1 overall in their last 20 games.

Injury report

The Falcons are a banged-up football team with two starters, center Todd McClure and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, in addition to White missing practice time this week. Starting linebacker Curtis Lofton, No. 4 receiver Brian Finneran and key reserve running back Jason Snelling were limited in practice this week.

McClure, White, Lofton, Finneran and Snelling are going to play, but Weatherspoon is listed as day-to-day.

In contrast, Baltimore is relatively healthy. Safety Tom Zbikowski and defensive tackle Arthur Jones missed Tuesday’s practice. Zbikowski has missed the past two games with a bruised right heel.