In the final iteration of the NFL regular season, the Cleveland Browns (+5) are set to take on the Baltimore Ravens (-5) at M&T Bank Stadium. This pivotal AFC North game will commence at 4:25 p.m. ET and CBS will broadcast the action.
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens Betting Preview
The Browns enter into this Sunday AFC game as the underdog and they’re currently being given 5 points. In order to take the home favorite, moneyline gamblers would currently have to spend $200 to win $100 back on the Ravens (-200). The Browns are getting +170 moneyline odds. Should one team gets out in front early on it would generate a reasonable in-game betting scenario. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 41 points.
The early action has swayed to the Browns. This opening line was initially set at -6 and the game’s total was originally 41.5.
Both of these teams have been profitable this season as the Browns have gained 1.3 units and the Ravens are ahead 2.3 units.
The Browns have gone 7-7-1 straight up (SU), including 3-1 SU against AFC North opponents. The Ravens are 9-6 SU overall and 2-3 SU versus divisional foes.
The Browns are coming off a 26-18 victory over Cincinnati in Week 16 where Baker Mayfield completed 27-of-37 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns. Nick Chubb (112 rushing yards on 19 attempts) led the ground attack. Rashard Higgins (six receptions, 60 yards, one TD) and Duke Johnson Jr. (six catches, 54 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Baltimore is coming off of a 22-10 win over the Chargers in Week 16. Lamar Jackson completed 12-of-22 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown. Gus Edwards (92 rushing yards on 14 attempts) and the signal-caller Jackson (39 yards on 13 carries) handled the running attack while Nick Boyle (two receptions, 15 yards) and Kenneth Dixon (two catches, 20 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Cleveland’s run the ball on 42.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Baltimore has a rush percentage of 48.4 percent. The Browns have produced 123 rush yards/game (including 119 per game against North opponents) and have 15 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Ravens are putting up 143 rush yards per game (121 in conference) and have 17 total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Ravens ought to own an edge in the trenches, since their offensive line has allowed just 30 sacks while their D-line has registered 43 sacks. The Browns O-line has given up 38 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs just 35 times.
The Browns offense has averaged 259 yards in the air overall (265 per game against conference opposition) and has 26 passing TDs so far. The Ravens have produced 235 pass yards per contest (281.0 in the AFC) and have 18 total pass scores.
Defensively, Cleveland has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 124 yards and pass for 279 yards per game. The Baltimore D has given up 218.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 85.1 yards per game to opposing runners. The Ravens are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.08 to opponents, while the Browns have given up a 5.67 ANY/A.
Offensively, Mayfield has put up 3,161 passing yards this year. He’s completed 269-of-413 attempts with 22 scores through the air and 10 interceptions. Mayfield has a 6.86 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 7.34 over the last two outings.
The Browns have tried to maintain the clock by pounding the defense with their running backs. Breshad Perriman (264 yards) has been involved recently in the passing game, but backfield mates Nick Chubb (872 rush yards, eight rush TDs, two receiving TDs) and Duke Johnson Jr. (152 rush yards, 401 receiving yards, three receiving TDs) have been focal points in the Cleveland offensive scheme.
Lamar Jackson has managed to complete 71-of-123 passes for 891 yards, five TDs and three INTs for Baltimore. His ANY/A stands at 5.93 for the season and 7.40 over his last two games.
The Ravens also like to leverage their backfield. In addition to Gus Edwards (20 receiving yards), Lamar Jackson (510 rush yards, three rush TDs) and Mark Andrews (467 receiving yards and three TDs) have gotten a lot of touches lately.
RELATED: Week 17 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
Free NFL Pick: Browns at Ravens
SU Winner – Ravens, ATS Winner – Ravens, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes
The Baltimore defense has created 43 sacks on the year while Cleveland has just 35.
Baltimore has lost 10 fumbles in 2018 while the Cleveland offense has lost seven.
The Browns offense has produced seven pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Ravens have put up six such plays.
The Cleveland defense has allowed eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Baltimore has given up three such plays.
The Cleveland offense has created 18 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Baltimore has created nine such runs.
The Browns defense has allowed 13 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Ravens have given up six such runs.
The O/U for Baltimore’s last game was 43. The under cashed in that 22-10 victory over the Chargers.
Over its last three matchups, Baltimore is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
In its last three games, Cleveland is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Cleveland has won six of its last seven games SU, with a 16-point loss to Houston on December 2nd accounting for the only defeat over that span.
Baltimore has won six of its last seven games SU, with a -3-point defeat to Kansas City on December 9th representing the one loss over that stretch.
The Over/Under for Cleveland’s last game was set at 44. The O/U pushed in the team’s 26-18 victory over Cincinnati.
Cleveland has averaged 5.1 yards per carry over its last three games and 5.0 over its last two.
Baltimore has averaged 4.8 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.8 over its last two.
*****
