The Cleveland Browns (2-9) take on the Cincinnati Bengals (9-2) looking to put an end to their six-game losing streak. The game will air Sunday, Dec 6 at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
The last meeting between the Browns and Bengals came in Week 9 when Cincinnati easily got past Cleveland 31-10. Karlos Dansby led the Browns defensive effort in that game, recording eight tackles. Tyler Eifert had a great performance for Cincinnati in that game, grabbing five receptions for 53 yards and three TDs. Andy Dalton had a great game as well, adding 234 yards and three TDs through the air.
The Bengals are favored by seven points against the Browns this week and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 44 points.
Sitting at 2-9 Straight Up (SU) and 3-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS), the Browns will look to improve heading into Week 13. Results are trending downward for Cleveland, going 0-5 SU and ATS over its past five games. The Bengals will have to keep Cleveland from taking the ball away. The Browns have the most fumbles recovered per home game in the league with 1.4. Cleveland’s special teams unit has done damage to opponents, topping the NFL with an average of 117.8 return yards per home game.
Shifting to the opposition, the Bengals head into Week 13 with records of 9-1-1 ATS and 9-2 SU. Over their last five games, the Bengals have a SU record of 3-2 and a 4-1 record ATS. They enter the week as the league’s fourth-best road scoring offense, dropping an average of 28.4 points per away game on opposing defenses. Odds are in favor of Cincinnati continuing to rely on its run game against a defense that allows 135.6 rushing yards per game, ranking 30th in the league. Preparing for Cincinnati’s top-five scoring defense could be challenging for the Browns. So far this year, Cincinnati’s defense on the road has allowed opponents to score an average of 20.4 points. Cleveland’s run game is particularly bad this year. Its 74.5 rushing yards per game is ranked worst in the league. The Browns offense gives up the most sacks in the league (3.5 per game), which could be an advantage for the Bengals. The first quarter is key for the quick-starting Bengals, who average 6.9 points in the first 15 minutes. Cleveland’s weak special teams might benefit the Bengals this week. The Browns give up an average of 113.6 return yards during home games, ranking 28th in the NFL this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cin, ATS Winner – Cin, O/U – Under
Notes
Cleveland is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Cleveland’s last 11 games.
Cleveland is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
Cleveland is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games at home.
Cleveland is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland’s last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games when playing Cincinnati.
Cleveland is 6-16 SU in its last 22 games when playing Cincinnati.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 6 games when playing at home against Cincinnati.
Cincinnati is 7-1 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Cleveland is 1-0 SU when leading after three quarters.
Cleveland is winless (0-5 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, and 1-2 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The Cleveland passing attack is ranked 11th in the league, while the Cincinnati pass defense is only ranked 17th. The Bengals’ passing game is ranked 12th, compared to the 25th-ranked pass defense of the Browns.
Cleveland has allowed 26.8 points per game at home this year, which ranks it only 26th in the league. Cincinnati has scored 28.4 points per contest on the road (ranked fourth overall).
