The Cincinnati Bengals snapped a four-game winless slide with a 32-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week. There is a good chance they will build on that victory this weekend as they get set to play a Cleveland Browns team that is still looking for its first win at 0-12 on the season. They still have a slim chance to make the playoffs, so they should be focused.
As for the Browns, they’re on track for an 0-16 season unless they can somehow come up with a win. This figures to be their best shot at they are at home and the Bengals are 4-7-1. The Browns still have road games at Buffalo (6-6) and Pittsburgh (7-5), which figure to be losses, and they’ll also have a home game in Week 16 against the San Diego Chargers (5-7). The Browns are coming off a bye week and have had two weeks to prepare for a team that’s 4-7-1 and is without their top receiver, A.J. Green. If they can’t win in this spot, they are probably going winless.
Moneyline: Cincinnati -205
Handicap/Spread Odds: Bengals -6
Total O/U: 43.5
Last 5 Meetings: (Road/Home – Spread/Total)
| 10/23/2016 | CLE 17 – CIN 31 | CIN -11 | O 46.5 |
| 12/6/2015 | CIN 37 – CLE 3 | CIN -7.5 | U 44 |
| 11/5/2015 | CLE 10 – CIN 31 | CIN -13 | U 45.5 |
| 12/14/2014 | CIN 30 – CLE 0 | CIN 2.5 | U 44 |
| 11/6/2014 | CLE 24 – CIN 3 | CLE 6.5 | U 45.5 |
On The Bengals Side of the Ball (4-7-1 Record, 4-8 ATS)
Andy Dalton threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns with Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd in particular stepping up with strong performances in the absence of A.J. Green. The Bengals are likely not going to make the playoffs but they are still looking to finish strong without several key players on both sides of the football. The Cincinnati defense really stepped up against Philadelphia as well as they forced three interceptions from Carson Wentz. Turnovers will be key again this weekend as the Bengals certainly don’t want to be the team that gives the Browns their first win of the season.
Last 5 Results:
| 12/4/2016 | PHI | W 32-14 | W -2 | O 42 |
| 11/27/2016 | @BAL | L 14-19 | L 3.5 | U 41.5 |
| 11/20/2016 | BUF | L 12-16 | L -2.5 | U 48 |
| 11/14/2016 | @NYG | L 20-21 | L -1 | U 49.5 |
| 10/30/2016 | WAS | T 27-27 | L -3 | O 49 |
On The Browns Side of the Ball (0-12 Record, 2-10 ATS)
Cleveland finally reached its bye week on the tail of 12 straight losses last week and now they enter the final stretch hoping they can break out of their slump. The Browns will host the Bengals and San Diego Chargers while visiting the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers so this will be as good a chance as any they will have to break the goose egg the rest of the way. Cleveland did get some good news with Robert Griffin III set to make his return at the quarterback position this week. RGIII has been out since the season opener, so it’s unclear what kind of shape he’s in. However, the Browns have been terrible at the quarterback position since he was injured, so it’s not as if he’ll be a downgrade.
The Browns are in an evaluation process but it’s hard to evaluate the more talented players on the roster simply because of the lack of help around them.
Last 5 Results:
| 11/27/2016 | NYG | L 13-27 | L 9.5 | U 46.5 |
| 11/20/2016 | PIT | L 9-24 | L 8 | U 45.5 |
| 11/10/2016 | @BAL | L 7-28 | L 7.5 | U 44 |
| 11/6/2016 | DAL | L 10-35 | L 7 | U 49 |
| 10/30/2016 | NYJ | L 28-31 | L 2.5 | O 45.5 |
Quick Analysis
Cleveland has failed to cover the spread in each of their last six losses including four straight double-digit defeats heading in to this week. The Bengals haven’t been much better of late with a 1-5 record against the spread over their last six games but there is definitely more reasons to support Cincinnati bouncing back this week.
Prediction
Any signs of hope that the Browns have shown throughout the year have quickly been wiped out including earlier this season when they lost to the Bengals 31-17 in their first meeting. Cincinnati won and covered that game as 11-point favorites and even without Green in their lineup this week, they should be able to win and cover once again. The Bengals still have the better quarterback, defense and running game, and that will be the difference.
Pick: Bengals -6
Note: Lines subject to change leading up to kick-off, so please be aware of the possibility of line movements.
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