Browns Bengals Spread

Written by Jack Jones

In a battle between the two worst teams in the stacked AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals will host the Cleveland Browns in Week 12 NFL action Sunday. Cincinnati trails both the Steelers and Ravens by one game, while Cleveland is three games back. The Bengals have owned the Browns of late, winning five of the last six meetings. That includes a 27-17 road victory in Week 1 this season. Andy Dalton threw for 81 yards and a touchdown before going out with an injury, and Cedric Benson put the game away by rushing for 121 yards and 39-yard touchdown with 1:49 to play.

Looking at the lines for Week 13, I find a spread of Cincinnati -7.5 over Cleveland and a total set of 37.5 points.

Cincinnati

The Bengals were one of the biggest surprises in the league through the first half of the season. They took advantage of a weak schedule, opening 6-2 before playing the top two teams in their division the past two weeks. Cincinnati (6-4, 2-2 home) would fight tough against Pittsburgh, but eventually lost 24-17. They went on the road last week and had their chances against the Ravens, but fell 31-24.

In their loss to Baltimore, the Bengals actually outgained their AFC North rivals 483-373. They had a few calls not go their way, but give them credit for continuing to fight. Cincinnati trailed 31-14 by the start of the fourth quarter, but scored twice and had a chance to tie it at the end. They were stopped on downs after getting a first-and-goal from the Baltimore 7. Dalton threw for 373 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions, and he played pretty well despite not having the services of injured wide receiver A.J. Green. The rookie is questionable to return against the Browns with a knee injury.

Cincinnati ranks just 18th in total offense (329.2 yards/game), but they are an outstanding 6th in total defense (311.1 yards/game). The Bengals rank 3rd in the league in run defense (88.6 yards/game). Dalton is completing 59.3 percent of his passes for 2,239 yards with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Benson has rushed for 634 yards and four scores. Green leads all receiver with 41 grabs for 635 yards and six touchdowns, and they could certainly use his services this weekend.

Cleveland

There’s no question that the Browns are the worst team in this division, but they continue to fight to stay alive. Cleveland (4-6, 3-3 home) has seen all four of their wins come by eight points or less. But that’s just how they are going to have to try and win games from here on out considering they don’t have the luxury of having a high-powered offense. Managing the clock and not turning the ball over are their two main priorities.

Cleveland is coming off a 14-10 home victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday. They got a goal line stand in the closing seconds to preserve the win. This gut-wrenching triumph came a week after the Browns botched a snap and reliable kicker Phil Dawson missed a 22-yard field goal attempt. That kick would have gave them the win, but instead they lost 13-12 to the St. Louis Rams. McCoy threw for 199 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Jaguars, while Chris Ogbonnaya rushed for 115 yards and a score.

Like the Bengals, Cleveland is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to offense and defense. They rank just 29th in total offense (298.1 yards/game), but 5th in total defense (305.8 yards/game). They are extremely stingy against the pass (166.5 yards/game), ranking 1st in the league in that department. McCoy is completing 59.6 percent of his passes for 2,181 yards and 11 touchdowns to seven interceptions. Peyton Hillis has been sidelined for the last several weeks with a hamstring injury, so their leading rusher is Gooney (285 yards, one TD). Rookie Greg Little leads all receivers with 42 receptions for 438 yards.

Betting Trends

The Browns are 5-15-2 ATS in their last 22 games overall, and 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog.

The Bengals are 10-2-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall, but just 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games as a home favorite.

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