Are we going to see Johnny Manziel take the field for the first time in an NFL regular season game, or will he continue clutching the clipboard on the sidelines? How about this question: Can the Cleveland Browns send shockwaves across the nation by beating the New Orleans Saints next week? The Saints are coming off a surprising loss in Week 1, in which their defense was wrecked by Matt Ryan and the rest of the Atlanta Falcons. The Browns could take that as a sign of weakness of New Orleans, but they’ll probably have to exploit that flaw without two of their best players on offense.
Find out more about this matchup below. You can also read our preview of Eagles vs. Colts here.
[sc:Football ]New Orleans Saints vs. Cleveland Browns Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland
When: Sunday, September 14, 1:00 PM ET
Line: New Orleans Saints (-6) at Cleveland Browns (+6); total 47.5 – see all NFL lines
Betting on the New Orleans Saints
[sc:NFL240banner ]Remember when the Saints struggled mightily on the road last season? Well, it appears that they still are having trouble away from New Orleans after they suffered a 37-34 defeat at the hands of the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday. With the loss, the Saints are now both 3-7 straight up and against the spread in their last 10 road games dating back to 2013.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan zinged the Saints’ defense with a record-setting performance, throwing a franchise-best 448 yards and three touchdowns. The Saints also allowed Atlanta to convert 6-of-11 on third downs. Overall, the Falcons dumped 568 yards on New Orleans, which was touted to be better defensively this season than in 2013.
They will find the going much easier however against the Browns as they will face a nominally less talented QB in Brian Hoyer. That coupled with the fact that the Browns are saddled with injuries right this very moment, gives the Saints no excuses in letting their opponents move the chains as often as the Falcons did in Week 1.
A positive takeaway for the Saints from their Week 1 loss was the impressive outing of rookie receiver Brandin Cooks. Cooks proved that Drew Brees (333 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) has another top-notch target in the making – other than Jimmy Graham (82 yards) and Marques Colston (110 yards) – when the Oregon State product caught seven passes for 77 yards with a TD to boot.
New Orleans is 14-7 ATS after taking a loss since 2010.
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Betting on the Cleveland Browns
The Browns are heading home for Week 2 after a tough loss to Pittsburgh on the road, 30-27. Their bettors, meanwhile, got a consolation as a feverish Browns run in the second half erased what was once a 24-point Steelers lead and allowed Cleveland to cover the spread as 5.5-point road underdogs.
As if losing the game wasn’t bad enough for the Browns, they also saw two of their key offensive pieces got hurt. First, it was running back Ben Tate, who left the game with an apparent knee injury. Then tight end Jordan Cameron suffered a sprained shoulder, forcing him to sit out the rest of the game beginning in the third quarter. However, the rookie duo of Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell showed much promise against the Steelers, as the two combined for 132 rushing yards and two TDs, giving Cleveland assurance that the backfield will be fine next week – with or without Tate.
Cameron, on the other hand, had 47 receiving yards on two catches before leaving the game. Should he sit out the game against the Saints, expect Andrew Hawkins to be Hoyer’s top target again. Hawkins had a team-high eight catches for 87 receiving yards versus the Steelers.
With Drew Brees coming to town, there’s also big pressure for the Browns’ secondary to perform way better than in Week 1, especially rookie cornerback Justin Gilbert. Gilbert was assigned to cover Markus Wheaton against the Steelers but the receiver still managed to finish the game with 97 receiving yards on just six catches.
Writer’s Prediction
New Orleans crush the Browns, who do not have an answer to the trio of Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, and Brandin Cooks.
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