The Cincinnati Bengals (+7) are set to take on their AFC North counterpart Cleveland Browns (-7) at FirstEnergy Stadium. This early afternoon matchup will get underway at 1:00 p.m. ET and CBS is in line to have the TV rights.
Betting Preview: Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals
In this Sunday AFC game, Cleveland is tabbed as the favorite and is currently giving up 7 points. The Bengals are also receiving +220 moneyline odds while the Browns are -260. There could be some decent in-game betting scenarios in the matchup, and Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 45.5 points.
The betting odds have swayed a bit from where they initially opened. The line opened at -7 while the game’s over/under was originally set at 46.
The Bengals are 7-7 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 1.1 units so far in 2018. The team’s posted an O/U record of 9-5.
The Browns are up 0.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 9-5 ATS and have an O/U record of 6-8.
The Bengals are 6-8 straight up (SU), including 1-3 SU against AFC North opponents. The Browns are 6-7-1 SU overall and 2-1 SU against divisional foes.
The Bengals are coming off a resounding 30-16 victory over Oakland last week. Jeff Driskel completed just 14 passes on 33 attempts for 130 yards, along with a TD and an interception. Joe Mixon (129 yards on 27 rush attempts, two TDs) led the running attack. Tyler Boyd (four receptions, 38 yards, one TD) and Alex Erickson (three catches, 23 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Cleveland just earned a 17-16 win over Denver in Week 15. The team’s defensive secondary allowed the Broncos to air it out for 257 yards. Tim Patrick had a good showing in the defeat for Denver, posting 65 yards on five catches. For Cleveland, Baker Mayfield completed 18-of-31 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Nick Chubb (100 yards on 20 rush attempts) led the running game as Antonio Callaway (five receptions, 35 yards, one TD) and Duke Johnson Jr. (four catches, 25 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Cincinnati has run the ball on 38.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Cleveland has an overall rush percentage of 42.8 percent. The Bengals have produced 103.9 rush yards per game (including 86.8 per game versus North opponents) and have 13 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Browns are averaging 121.2 rushing yards per game (111.8 in conference) and have 15 total rush TDs.
It appears that the Bengals may have the more disruptive lines up front. Their offensive line has given up only 40 sacks while their D-line logged 41 sacks. The Browns offensive line has allowed 50 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs on just 34 occasions.
The Bengals offense has tallied 238.6 yards per contest through the air overall (240.0 per game versus conference opposition) and has 25 passing TDs so far. The Browns have produced 252.7 pass yards per game (244 against AFC competition) and have 23 total pass scores.
Defensively, Cincinnati has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 142.4 yards and pass for 282.4 yards per game. The Cleveland defense has allowed 289.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 126.1 yards per game to opposing runners. The Browns are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.64 to opposing QBs, while the Bengals have allowed a 7.22 ANY/A.
Offensively, Driskel has put up 605 passing yards on the year, and has completed 62-of-106 attempts with three passing scores and two interceptions. He has a 4.66 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.20 over the last two games.
Baker Mayfield has completed 242-of-385 passes for 2,827 yards, 20 TDs and 11 INTs for Cleveland. His ANY/A stands at 6.27 for the season and 7.54 over his past two outings.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns NFL Pick
SU Winner: Browns, ATS Winner: Browns, O/U: Over
Team Betting Notes
- The Cleveland offense has lost seven fumbles this season while Cincinnati has lost four.
- The Cincinnati defense has sacked opposing QBs 33 times this season. Cleveland has registered 32 sacks.
- As a team, Cincinnati has produced 4.4 yards per carry across its last three contests and 4.3 over its last two.
- Cleveland has averaged 4.8 yards per carry over its last three outings and 5.1 over its past two.
- In its last three games, Cleveland is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- The O/U for Cincinnati’s previous game was 45.5. The over cashed in the team’s 30-16 victory over Oakland.
- Over its last three matchups, Cincinnati is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Cleveland’s last match going into it was 47.5. The under cashed in that 17-16 win over Denver.
- Cleveland has won five of its last six games SU, with a -16-point loss to Houston on December 2nd accounting for its one defeat over that stretch.
