Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens – Thursday September 27, 2012 8:20PM EST
If you have not heard by now, then you should be told that the replacement NFL referees are becoming a big problem for everyone. The online betting experts watched as the replacement referees called 24 penalties in total in the Monday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks. Several of the calls were questionable and some of the questionable calls affected the outcome of the game. The interception by Green Bay that was called as a game-winning touchdown for the Seahawks was the clincher for just about anyone that follows football or makes their living from the NFL. It is time for the real refs to come back before the NFL is thrown into total chaos.
One thing that the online football betting experts know is that even if the referee lockout was solved today, it would not be in time to get the regular refs in uniform in time for the Thursday game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. The Ravens will not only have to beat the Cleveland Browns to try and retain the top spot in the AFC North, but the team will also have to contend with the very real possibility that bad officiating could give the game to the Browns. That is a lot for one team to have to deal with in a single game.
Cleveland Browns
The bookmaker betting software keeps waiting for Cleveland rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden to show promise, but the wait keeps getting longer. Weeden had an opportunity to bring the Browns back against the Buffalo Bills in week three, but Weeden made bad decisions and poor throws which allowed the game to get away from Cleveland. The Browns do have a gem in rookie running back Trent Richardson, but that is hardly enough to give Cleveland a chance against a team like the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore Ravens
A 5 dimes review of the week three game between the New England Patriots and the Ravens shows another instance of where the replacement referees impacted the end of a football game. Bad calls throughout the game had the normally reserved Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichik angry that he grabbed an official at the end of the game to get an explanation. As for the Ravens, the team knows that it got away with one against the Patriots and Baltimore has no intentions on letting things get that close with the Cleveland Browns.
The Bottom Line
The replacement referees create an element that has to be taken into account by all NFL teams heading into week four. No one wants to watch as the refs hand a game to the opponent, but Baltimore has already been a recipient of the generosity of replacement refs. In this game, the Ravens will not need the refs’ help, but it needs to be careful that it does not give the refs an opportunity to hand the Browns the game.
Read more about the NFL referee lockout and when it could end.
Pick: Baltimore Ravens
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