The Cincinnati Bengals (+11) aren’t traveling far to face the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Kickoff for this AFC North matchup is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to CBS.
Week 14 Betting Preview: Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals
In this Sunday AFC game, Cleveland is getting picked as the big favorite and is currently giving up 11 points. In order to take the home favorite, moneyline gamblers would currently need to put down $500 to win $100 back on the Browns (-500). The Bengals are getting +340 moneyline odds. If one team catches a lucky break early it’ll create a nice live betting scenario. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 43 points.
The disappointing Bengals are 5-6-1 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 10.3 units so far in 2019. They’ve been a good under bet and have recorded an O/U mark of 3-8-1.
The Browns are down 2.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 4-7-1 ATS and own an O/U record of 5-7.
The Bengals have gone 1-11 straight up (SU), including 0-4 SU against AFC North opponents. The Browns are 5-7 SU overall and 2-1 SU against divisional foes.
The Bengals are coming off a resounding 22-6 win over the Jets last week. Andy Dalton completed 22 passes for 243 yards and one touchdown. Joe Mixon (44 yards on 19 rush attempts, one TD) led the running attack. Tyler Boyd (five receptions, 59 yards, one TD) and C.J. Uzomah (five catches, 51 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Cleveland just suffered a 20-13 defeat to Pittsburgh a week ago. Baker Mayfield completed 18-of-32 passes for 196 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Nick Chubb (58 yards on 16 rush attempts) mounted the running game as Jarvis Landry (six receptions, 76 yards) and Hunt (five catches, 19 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Cincinnati’s run the ball on 35.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Cleveland has a rush percentage of 42.5 percent. The Bengals have rushed for 78 yards per game (including 87.3 per game versus North opponents) and have five touchdowns on the ground this year. The Browns are logging 122.7 rushing yards per game (134.3 in conference) and have 12 total rush TDs.
It appears that the Browns ought to own an edge when it comes to RB efficiency. Their backfield has generated 4.8 yards per carry while the defense has allowed 4.7 YPC to opponents. The Bengals have ran for 3.6 yards per carry while allowing 4.8 YPC to opponents.
The Bengals offensive scheme has averaged 247.4 yards through the air overall (191.3 per game against conference opposition) and has 12 passing scores so far. The Browns have recorded 244.8 pass yards per contest (244 against AFC competition) and have 15 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Cincinnati has let opponents run for an average of 157.6 yards and pass for 258.6 yards per game. The Cleveland D has given up 233.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 124.0 yards per game on the ground. The Browns are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.8 to opponents, while the Bengals have given up a 7.92 ANY/A.
Offensively, Dalton has put up 2,495 passing yards this season. The signal-caller has completed 60 percent of his 375 attempts with 10 passing scores and eight interceptions. He has a 5.27 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.66 over the last two outings.
Baker Mayfield has managed to complete 220-of-373 passes for 2,590 yards, 12 TDs and 13 INTs for Cleveland. His ANY/A stands at 5.00 for the year and 6.71 across his past two games.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns Free NFL Pick
SU Winner: Browns, ATS Winner: Bengals, O/U: Over
Betting Notes
- The Over/Under for Cincinnati’s last game was set at 43.5. The under cashed in the team’s 22-6 win over the Jets.
- Cincinnati has averaged 4.5 yards per rush attempt across its last three outings and 2.8 over its last two.
- Cleveland has averaged 3.9 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.5 over its past two.
- The Cleveland offense has lost six fumbles this season while Cincinnati has lost 12.
- Over its last three matchups, Cincinnati is 2-0-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- The Over/Under for Cleveland’s previous match was 40.5. The under cashed in the team’s 20-13 defeat to Pittsburgh.
- In its last three matchups, Cleveland is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Bengals have made 13 pass plays of 30+ yards while the Browns have produced 17 such plays.
- The Cincinnati defense has allowed nine pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Cleveland has given up seven such plays.
- The Cincinnati offense has created three rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Cleveland has created seven such runs.
- The Bengals defense has allowed 20 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Browns have given up six such runs.
- The Cleveland defensive unit has produced 35 sacks on the year while Cincinnati has just 20.
