For just the second time this season, the Baltimore Ravens will be an underdog when they take the field. Despite heading into Week 16 with a record of 11-3, which is tied for the best in the NFL, the Ravens are a 4.5-point underdog for Monday's game against the 49ers.
Based on comments made by several players this week, it sounds like the team will definitely be using their underdog status as motivation for the Christmas night game at Levi's Stadium. Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton definitely think the oddsmakers got it wrong with the point spread this week.
"We feel a little disrespected by that," Hamilton said this week, via ESPN. "I feel like we are the best team in the league, and we have an opportunity in front of the country to show it."
Hamliton isn't the only member of the Ravens' secondary who was surprised by the team's underdog status as Marlon Humphrey seems to feel the same way.
"I was surprised to see that," the cornerback said. "But I definitely want to make that incorrect for sure. And hopefully some people lose some money betting with them and make some money betting with us."
Heading into Week 16, the Ravens have only been an underdog one other time this season and that came back in Week 2 when the Bengals were favored by 3.5 points for a game in Cincinnati. Not only did the Ravens cover in that game, but they got the last laugh, because they also won, 27-24.
According to Pro Football Reference, Monday's game will mark just the fifth time in Lamar Jackson's career that the Ravens have been an underdog of four points or more in a game that he starts. In the previous four games, the Ravens have gone 2-2 straight-up and 3-1 against the spread.
Speaking of Jackson, he seems to be the one player on the team who enjoys the underdog role.
"I don't want them to pick us," Jackson said. "I like being the underdog. I believe we play better when we're doubted and [when] people aren't choosing us to win the game. I feel like we play better all the time, so just do it all the way to February. That's all I ask."
Jackson will probably have a lot of confidence going into this game. Not only has he thrived as an underdog in his career going 9-4 straight-up, but he also has a 19-1 career record against NFC teams, which gives him the best winning percentage (.950) in NFL history by a QB against a team playing against the opposite conference.
