Why the NFL schedule kicks off on Thursday, there are plenty of options in your sportsbook on the weekend and on Sunday, a pair of state and division rivals will go head-to-head in Cincinnati.
Browns Bengals Odds – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET
Cleveland (4-6) came out on top in a 14-10 win at home over Jacksonville, and BetOnline.com reviews would probably say that this game went exactly as planned: a low-scoring, scrappy affair in which points were at a premium. Colt McCoy was 17-of-24 for 199 yards, a touchdown and a pick, while Chris Ogbonnaya added 115 yards and a score for the Browns, who managed to hold the Jacksonville run game in check, and that was the difference. It was a testy game as both teams committed nine penalties, and each team received four first downs, and the offenses needed all of the breaks they could get. Cleveland is now two games behind Cincinnati in the standings and with the ever-changing landscape of the NFL, it’s possible that they could pull even with the Bengals, which would be a huge accomplishment given the start that Cleveland had to the season.
Cincinnati (6-4) may have been bitten by a bad call in their 31-24 loss in Baltimore as Jermaine Gresham had a late score controversially overturned, but price per head players may point to three interceptions by Andy Dalton, who was 24-of-45 for 373 yards and a touchdown as well. The defense almost overturned a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, and they gave it a good effort to show that the Bengals are going to be a threat in the AFC North, but they’re not there yet. Dalton was also without fellow rookie A.J. Green at receiver, and the playmaker is one of those players who can mean the difference between a win and a loss.
Per head odds have the Bengals as a 7.5-point favorite at home, where they are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS in their last five trips, and the last four games have fallen under the posted total. Watch the injury report to see if Green will be available for the Bengals, but they should still have enough weapons to come away with the win, only because Cleveland’s offense is awful. The Browns’ defense can be run on, even though they did well against Jacksonville, but they had the luxury of going up against a team with no passing game. Cincinnati can keep them off-balance with their passing game and that will open up the field for Cedric Benson, who found the end zone twice against Baltimore, but he’d like to improve on his 41 yards. Go with Cincinnati to cover this sports betting spread.
