The Cleveland Browns (-111 to win AFC North) are no longer the same joke they used to be. After beating the Atlanta Falcons in their last game, they will now look to take down Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. But will the Bengals (+1,200 to win AFC North) allow Cleveland to humiliate them in front of their home fans? Let’s find out.
The Browns brought with them happy memories to their bye in Week 12 as they entered it on the heels of a 28-16 upset road win over the Atlanta Falcons. The Browns did damage and made great plays on both ends of the field. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is getting more comfortable in the pocket, and against the Falcons, the rookie out of the Oklahoma Sooners’ program went 17-of-20 for 216 passing yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Another Browns rookie in running back Nick Chubb also stood out, as he took advantage of the Falcons’ leaky defense to rack up 176 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Don’t be surprised if you see Mayfield and Chubb making a killing again on the field for the second game in a row. After all, the Bengals have one of the poorest stop units in the league. The Bengals are 31st in the league with 31.2 points allowed per game. Chubb should also be salivating at the prospect of facing the Bengals’ defense that surrenders 153.6 rushing yards per game – the most in the NFL.
The Browns are 3-2 ATS in their last five road games.
Betting on the Cincinnati Bengals (5-5)
After getting beat by a rookie quarterback in last week’s 24-21 road loss to Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, the Bengals will look to avoid falling prey to another first-year QB in Mayfield. Usually, a game against the Browns is usually a gimme, but Cleveland is more dangerous now than it used to be in recent years, so Andy Dalton can’t take his foot off the pedal even for a bit. Against the Ravens, Dalton passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-36 completions while also avoiding throwing an interception. Dalton didn’t get much help from the team’s backfield, with running back Joe Mixon and company coming up with only 48 rushing yards, though, they had a touchdown. Things should be better for Mixon against the Browns, though, as Cleveland isn’t great against the run either. The Browns are 28th in the league with 131.2 rushing yards allowed per game.
The Bengals are 3-0 AT S in their last three home games against Cleveland.
