The Cleveland Browns’ reign atop the AFC North is over – at least for now. They can give it a go again next week when they take the road to face the re-energized Atlanta Falcons, whose defense has finally shown some signs of life to help the team win two in a row. Will Cleveland clip the suddenly high-flying Falcons? Or will Atlanta extend their win streak to three games?
In another AFC North-NFC South showdown, the Baltimore Ravens take a trip to Jazz City, where the New Orleans Saints are looking to snap their skid. You can read a preview of that game here.
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Cleveland Browns vs. Atlanta Falcons Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta
When: Sunday, November 23, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Cleveland Browns (+3) at Atlanta Falcons (-3); total: 47.0 – see all NFL lines
Betting on the Cleveland Browns
A topsy-turvy Week 11 has left the Browns falling from the first place of the AFC North as they are now 6-4 after taking a 23-7 defeat at the hands of the Houston Texans.
[sc:NFL240banner ]With J.J. Watt prowling in the Texans’ defensive line, Brian Hoyer and the Browns’ backfield weren’t able to have any significant success on offense. Although Hoyer threw for 330 yards and a touchdown, he completed just 20 of 50 passes with Houston’s pass rush forcing him to throw a lot of bad passes.
The backfield, meanwhile, only rushed for 58 yards. Prior to the contest, the Browns were averaging 111.8 yards on the ground. These struggles, however, doesn’t come as a surprise given that the game was the first time since Week 1 that Houston have paraded the defensive trio of Jadeveon Clowney, Brian Cushing, and Watt.
Cleveland isn’t likely to be faced with the same torturing defense against the Falcons, who are allowing 367.3 total yards per game. Isiah Crowell, Terrance West, and Ben Tate could be in for big bounce back performances against the Texans’ unspectacular defense against the rush that surrenders 122.2 yards on the ground per game. Crowell led the team against Houston with 61 rushing yards, while West only had 12. Tate, for his part, had a bad night on Sunday, coming away with -9 rushing yards.
The return of Pro-Bowl wide receiver Josh Gordon to the lineup should be a big boost for Cleveland’s passing game. Gordon was the NFL’s top receiver last season with 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns.
The under is 6-0 in the Browns’ last six games overall.
The Falcons are coming off their first back-to-back wins this season after surviving a vicious fourth-quarter rally by the Carolina Panthers Sunday on their way to a 19-17 victory. Atlanta still owns a losing 4-6 record but is fortunate to be playing in the NFC South where no other team is above .500. The Falcons remain atop the division, thanks to their unblemished 4-0 division record.
It was a tale of two Matts for the Falcons last Sunday. Matt Ryan passed for 268 yards and a touchdown with no interception, while kicker Matt Bryant came up big for the team as he made four field goals, including a 44-yarder late in the game that gave Atlanta the lead for good.
The Falcons’ turnaround over the last two weeks, however, was largely because of an improved defense that has been so easily punctured by opponents for most of the season. They have four interceptions and six sacks in their last two games. It was definitely a shot in the arm to Atlanta’s defense that’s allowing a league-worst 281.2 passing yards per game.
On the flipside, the passing offense of the Falcons will be in for a litmus test against Cleveland’s dangerous secondary, bannered by safety Tashaun Gipson and cornerback Buster Skrine. Gipson is the league’s leader in interceptions with six, while Skrine is tied for third with four.
Atlanta is sixth in the NFL with 271.2 passing yards per game. Wide receiver Roddy White led the team against the Panthers with 75 yards and a score to reach 10,000 career-receiving yards.
The Falcons are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as the home team.
