The Cleveland Browns (+3) aren’t traveling far to battle the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. This AFC North game starts at 1:00 p.m. ET and spectators can view the action live on CBS.
Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals Betting Preview
Cleveland is a live dog in this Sunday pairing and is currently getting 3 points. The Browns are also receiving +130 moneyline odds while the Bengals are -150. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 47.5 points. Should Cincinnati falls behind early on, it will likely produce a nice betting scenario in-game.
The game’s O/U has moved downward after initially being set at 48. The opening spread has yet to change.
The Browns are 6-4 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 1.9 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 5-5. The Bengals have gained 0.0 units this season. The team is 5-5 ATS and owns an O/U record of 7-3.
The Browns are 3-6-1 straight up (SU), including 1-1 SU against AFC North opponents. The Bengals are 5-5 SU overall and 1-2 SU against divisional foes.
The Browns are coming off a resounding 28-16 win over Atlanta in Week 10. Baker Mayfield completed 17 passes on 20 attempts for 216 yards and three touchdowns. Nick Chubb (176 yards on 20 rush attempts, one TD) led the ground attack. Duke Johnson Jr. (four receptions, 31 yards, one TD) and Chubb (three catches, 33 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
In Week 11, Baltimore knocked off this Cincinnati crew by a score of 24-21. The Bengals defensive unit allowed the Ravens to kill the clock by rushing for 265 yards on 54 attempts, including two rush TDs. Lamar Jackson had a productive outing in the win, recording 117 rushing yards on 27 attempts for Baltimore. For Cincinnati, Andy Dalton completed 19-of-36 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Mixon (14 rushing yards on 12 attempts, one TD) mounted the running attack while Tyler Boyd (four receptions, 71 yards) and Giovani Bernard (four catches, 20 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Cleveland has run the ball on 42.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Cincinnati has an overall rush percentage of 36.1 percent. The Browns have produced 133 rush yards/game (including 121 per game against North opponents) and have 11 scores on the ground this year. The Bengals are totaling 90 rush yards per game (73 in conference) and have nine total rushing TDs.
If the results so far this season are any indication, then it’s looking like the Browns could own the edge in terms of RB efficiency, as their backfield has generated 4.8 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 4.7 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Bengals have registered 4.5 yards per carry and allowed 5.0 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Browns offense has averaged 246 yards in the air overall (240 per game versus conference opposition) and has 15 passing TDs so far. The Bengals have recorded 255 pass yards per contest (235.0 in the AFC) and have 20 total pass scores.
Defensively, Cleveland has allowed 132 rush yards and 302 pass yards per game. The Cincinnati D has given up 306.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 153.6 yards per game to opposing runners. The Browns are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.95 to opposing QBs, while the Bengals have allowed a 7.03 ANY/A.
Offensively, Mayfield is up to 1,687 passing yards on the year, and has completed 147-of-243 attempts with 11 passing scores and six interceptions. Mayfield has a 5.72 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 8.53 over the last two games.
On the other sideline, Andy Dalton has connected on 204-of-328 passes for 2,313 yards, 19 TDs and eight INTs. Dalton’s ANY/A stands at 6.38 for the season and 5.02 over his last two outings.
RELATED: Week 12 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: Browns vs. Bengals
SU Winner – Bengals, ATS Winner – Browns, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Browns offense has tallied three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Bengals have accounted for one such play.
The Cleveland defense has allowed seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Cincinnati has given up eight such plays.
The Cleveland offense has created 12 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Cincinnati has created nine such runs.
The Browns defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Bengals have given up 10 such runs.
The Cleveland defensive unit has 24 sacks on the year while Cincinnati has 23.
Cleveland has produced 5.2 yards per carry over its last three outings and 5.8 over its last two.
Cincinnati has averaged 5.0 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.9 over its past two.
Over its last three matchups, Cincinnati is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
The O/U for Cleveland’s last game was 49.5. The under cashed in the team’s 28-16 victory over Atlanta.
Over its last three contests, Cleveland is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Cincinnati’s last match was set at 44. The over cashed in the 24-21 loss to Baltimore.
Cincinnati has lost five of its last six games SU, with a three-point victory over Tampa Bay on October 28th representing the lone win over that span.
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