Ravens vs. Dolphins betting preview: Odds, picks, props, trends, injuries, weather and more for Week 9 Thursday Night Football

It's matchup of two-win clubs to kick off Week 9 of the NFL season on Thursday Night Football as the Baltimore Ravens (2-5) visit the Miami Dolphins (2-6). These clubs have quite different outlooks despite their nearly identical records. South Florida native Lamar Jackson will return from a three-game injury absence for Baltimore tonight. The visitors are thus -7.5 and the total is 51.5 for the typical 8:15 ET kick on Prime Video.

Most of us bettors were livid last Friday afternoon when the Ravens said Jackson practiced in full that day, which pushed Baltimore's home spread up to -6.5 or -7 at home vs. Chicago. Then the next day, Jackson was ruled out anyway, dropping that number way down to -2.5. The Ravens will probably be fined because they originally listed Jackson as a full participant in Friday's practice when he only ran the scout team. Coach John Harbaugh said it was an "honest mistake."

But Tyler Huntley and Derrick Henry were able to lead the Ravens to a 30-16 victory over the Bears to end a four-game skid and save the team's season. A 1-6 club almost surely isn't making the NFL playoffs. But a 2-5 club might, and certainly a 3-5 team ... well you see where I'm going. Getting a wild card spot is still going to be really tough, but the AFC North is eminently winnable with the Browns and Bengals having their issues and the Steelers "only" two games up on Baltimore, with the teams' two meetings to come. Last year, the Steelers were up two with four games left and the Ravens still won the division. 

Currently, the SportsLine Projection Model forecasts the Ravens for 7.9 wins, a 23.5% chance (equates to +326) to win the division and a 26.9% (+272) shot at making the playoffs. However, with a win here and a Pittsburgh home loss to AFC-best Indianapolis on Sunday (the Steelers are +3), the Ravens' shot at winning the AFC North jumps to 34.1% (+193) and their postseason chances rise to 37.5% (+167). On the flip side, should Baltimore be stunned and the Steelers win, those numbers plummet to 12.0% and 13.8%. And if the Ravens do lose, they finish Under their preseason win total of 11.5. 

The sportsbooks are already much more optimistic on Baltimore now that Jackson is healthy. The Ravens have a wins total of 8.5 and are the the -130 AFC North favorites (don't see that often in any division for a team three games under .500). They're -150 to make the playoffs with No at +125. I personally also think the Ravens win the North again if they stay healthy.

Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins played their best game of the season on Sunday when they blew out a solid Falcons team in Atlanta, but there's nothing to see here otherwise. The model ranks Miami at No. 27 overall in its power rankings and gives it a wins total of 5.9 and a miniscule 0.4% shot at making the playoffs. Short of an incredible turnaround, coach Mike McDaniel is surely a goner after the season. He remains the -250 favorite to be the next NFL coach fired. I will say this: With a mini-bye up next, it's not out of the question it happens as early as Friday should Miami get embarrassed at home in primetime.

We'll take you through every aspect of the Ravens vs. Dolphins game that you need to know before you lock in your bets, including SportsLine expert picks, props, trends, DFS, injury information and everything else that will help you know which plays are worth making for the primetime matchup.

Who wins Ravens vs. Dolphins in the Week 9 Thursday night game, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit HARD? Join SportsLine right now to see everything you need to know to dominate your Thursday Night Football bets, plus get expert picks, model sims, prop bets, DFS lineups, and more!