Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8). Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

NFL 'MNF' Week 16: Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers betting picks, preview

By Griffin Carroll | Last updated 12/21/23

We have the top seeds from both conferences meeting to wrap Week 16 in the NFL when the Baltimore Ravens visit the San Francisco 49ers. The clear game of the week brings some betting value to the table.

Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers: Betting Odds

Spread: San Francisco -5, Over/under: 47 points, Baltimore +195 | San Francisco -238

Both Baltimore and San Francisco are inside the top three when it comes to point differential, and we're set to learn quite a bit about how legitimate each is as a Super Bowl contender this season.

The Ravens have won four straight games and are 6-1 on the road this season. Lamar Jackson has been taking advantage of a deeper WR group this season and a strong running game, while the Ravens defense has done a good job stifling offensive production.

Meanwhile, since a brief three-game slide, San Francisco has been down-right dominant, winning six straight games. The 49ers are Super Bowl favorites and Brock Purdy is a heavy favorite to win MVP. The team is loaded on both sides and hasn't found themselves in many close games of late.

The Ravens are 9-5 ATS and the 49ers are 8-6. San Francisco is 7-6-1 to the over while Baltimore is just 6-8.

Betting Picks for Baltimore vs. San Francisco

Ravens +5

This is an awkward number to back San Francisco out, making our choice a bit simpler, backing the Ravens on the road here in a massive game on both sides.

As mentioned, this could easily be a Super Bowl preview between the AFC and NFC's best teams, and while San Francisco has been on a dominant run of late, we expect Baltimore's defense to make things a bit more difficult on the 49ers here to keep this one tight throughout.

Lamar Jackson also should be able to break off some big plays here, and with Keaton Mitchell out, the offensive creation might fall even heavier on Jackson and his legs.

We're ready for a close and competitive game to wrap our Christmas night. If this spread nears three points, then we might recommend pivoting to San Francisco, but at +5, give us Baltimore to stay in this throughout.

Follow Griffin Carroll at griffybets.substack.com for data, trends and targets for every NFL game, plus all the off-season news you can use.

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