The Cleveland Browns (1-1) host the Oakland Raiders (1-1) at FirstEnergy Stadium this week. The NFL’s fourth-leading receiver, Travis Benjamin (204 yards ) will be the focal point of this matchup. It starts at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sep 27 and can be seen on CBS.
Cleveland picked up a win over Tennessee 28-14 last week. Travis Benjamin had an outstanding performance in the win, registering three catches for 115 yards. Isaiah Crowell contributed as well, putting up 72 yards and a TD on 15 attempts. Oakland was able to pick up the win last week, beating Baltimore 37-33. Derek Carr had a big game passing the ball for the Raiders, completing 30 of 46 passes for 351 yards, three TDs and one interception. Michael Crabtree had a big game as well, totaling 111 yards on nine receptions.
The Browns, a four-point favorite, will be looking to keep home-field advantage when Oakland visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 41 points.
Heading into Week 3 of league action, the Browns are 1-1 both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS). The Browns have a strong passing game with an average of 14.4 yards per pass, good enough for second in the league. Cleveland starts games swiftly, averaging seven points in the first quarter.
In comparison to the Browns, the Raiders also have 1-1 SU and ATS records this season. Oakland can plan a heavy ground attack. The Browns defense is ineffective at containing the run, giving up 4.8 yards per carry. Switching gears to the Oakland defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. The Raiders could find weakness in the Browns offense, who rank 31st in the league with two fumbles lost per game. The Browns defense does not start second half well, allowing 8.5 points in the third quarter, one of the worst in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, ATS Winner – Oak, O/U – Under
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Cleveland’s last 14 games.
Cleveland is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cleveland’s last 7 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games when playing Oakland.
Cleveland is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Oakland.
Cleveland is 7-0-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Oakland.
Oakland is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Cleveland.
Both teams are 1-0 SU when leading after three quarters.
The Cleveland offensive ground attack is ranked 16th in the league, while the Oakland rush defense is only ranked 20th. The Raiders’ rushing game is ranked 23rd, compared to the 32nd-ranked run defense of the Browns.
