Monday Night Football odds, spread, line: Ravens vs. 49ers picks, Christmas NFL predictions by 45-18 expert

Teams looking to lock up the top seed in their respective conferences will clash on Christmas when the Baltimore Ravens face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. The Ravens (11-3), who entered the weekend with a chance to earn their seventh AFC North title, are 6-1 on the road in 2023. The 49ers (11-3), who clinched their second consecutive NFC West crown, are 5-1 on their home field. Baltimore has won four of six all-time regular-season meetings with San Francisco.

Kickoff from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. San Francisco is a 6.5-point favorite in the latest Ravens vs. 49ers odds from the SportsLine Consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 47.5. Before you make any 49ers vs. Ravens picks, you need to see what NFL expert Mike Tierney has to say, given his mastery of picks involving the Ravens.

A veteran sportswriter whose work appears periodically in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Mike Tierney has covered the NFL for decades and reported from seven Super Bowls. He is coming off a typically strong 2022 NFL season in which he went 68-54-6, returning $815 to $100 players.

In addition, he is an amazing 45-18-2 on his last 65 NFL picks in games involving the Ravens, returning a whopping $2,510. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, Tierney has analyzed Ravens vs. 49ers from every angle and just locked in his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines for 49ers vs. Ravens: 

• Ravens vs. 49ers spread: San Francisco -6.5
• Ravens vs. 49ers over/under: 47.5 points
• Ravens vs. 49ers money line: Baltimore +233, San Francisco -290
• BAL: Ravens are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games
• SF: 49ers are 4-2 ATS in their last six games
• Ravens vs. 49ers picks: See picks at SportsLine 
• Ravens vs. 49ers live stream: fubo (try for free)

Why the 49ers can cover

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk leads the San Francisco receiving corps, catching 59 passes for 1,090 yards (18.5 average) and six touchdowns. He has 23 explosive plays of 20 yards or more, including a long of 76 yards. He has 309 yards after the catch and has converted 50 first downs. He has five games of 100 or more yards receiving.

Tight end George Kittle has caught 55 passes for 865 yards (15.7 average) and six touchdowns this season. He has two games with 100 or more receiving yards, including a nine-catch, 149-yard performance in a 31-17 loss to Cincinnati on Oct. 29. He also caught three passes for 116 yards and one touchdown at Jacksonville on Nov. 12. The seventh-year veteran has played in 96 career games and has 450 receptions for 6,119 yards (13.6 average) and 37 touchdowns. See which team to back here.  

Why the Ravens can cover

With tight end Mark Andrews on injured reserve, the Ravens have turned to second-year veteran Isaiah Likely. He has had back-to-back solid games, including a five-catch, 70-yard and one-touchdown performance at Jacksonville last week. He also caught five passes for 83 yards and a score in the Dec. 10 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams. For the year, he has 23 receptions for 282 yards (12.3 average) and two touchdowns. He has three explosive plays of 20 yards or more and has 155 yards after the catch.

Defensively, linebacker Roquan Smith is one of four players in the league with five or more tackles in 14 games this season. He leads Baltimore with 142 tackles, including 79 solo, which is fourth in the league. He has a half-sack in two of three career games against San Francisco, and 1.5 on the season for 12 yards and five tackles for loss. Smith has forced one fumble, while breaking up six passes. See which team to back here.  

How to make 49ers vs. Ravens picks

Tierney has analyzed Ravens vs. 49ers and while we can tell you he’s leaning Under the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.

Who wins Ravens vs. 49ers on Monday Night Football, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the 49ers vs. Ravens spread hits hard, all from the expert who is 45-18 on picks involving Baltimore, and find out.