Cleveland vs Cincinnati | NFL Predictions & Preview Game

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Both Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow are former Heisman Trophy winners and No. 1 overall picks. While Burrow looks like the better pro, he’s 0-2 in his career vs. Mayfield as the Browns visit the Bengals on Sunday. Cincinnati is a short favorite on the NFL odds.

How to Bet Browns at Bengals NFL Odds & TV Info

When: Sunday, 1 PM ET
Where: Paul Brown Stadium
TV: CBS
Radio: http://www.siriusxm.com/nfl
Stream Option: NFLSUNDAYTICKET.TV
Opening NFL Lines: Bengals -2 (total 47)

Last Season

Cleveland won both matchups in 2020 close in high-scoring games. The one in Cincinnati finished 37-34. Browns QB Baker Mayfield went 0 for 5, including an interception on his first attempt of the game. Mayfield then completed the next 22 of 23 passes. The last was most important, a leaping grab by Donovan Peoples-Jones in the end zone with 15 seconds left to win it. Joe Burrow hit 35 of 47 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns, including a 3-yard scoring pass to Giovani Bernard on fourth-and-1 to give the Bengals a 34-31 lead with 1:06 left but they couldn’t hold it.

Why Bet on Cleveland?

The Browns (4-4) lost for the third time in four games last Sunday, 15-10 at home to Pittsburgh. Playing through a badly injured left (non-throwing) shoulder, Baker Mayfield completed 20-of-31 pass attempts for 225 yards. It was an uninspiring performance from Mayfield, who missed Week 7 with a left shoulder injury that might require surgery after the season.

Nick Chubb had 16 rushes for 61 yards, adding one catch for eight yards. He had a couple of good runs wiped away by holding calls and was not involved in the Browns’ passing game with Kareem Hunt (calf) inactive.

Odell Beckham caught his only target for six yards. It was thought the Browns might trade him this week. They didn’t but it’s not expected Beckham will play for the team again. Beckham Jr. was told not to attend Wednesday’s practice, one day after his father posted a video on Instagram highlighting times when Mayfield didn’t throw the ball to Beckham when he was open.

Mayfield ranks 27th in QBR (42.2) and has only 6 touchdown passes. Beckham, meanwhile, ranks 151st in the NFL in receptions per target and 139th in receptions per route run. Beckham will remain away from the team but on the 53-man roster for now. His release will come eventually but the Browns are likely trying to find a way to lessen the financial burden of that move. If he is cut under his current contract, he’ll be placed on waivers. A team would be on the hook for his contract which includes $8 million this year but nothing in guarantees beyond 2021.

Fellow wideouts Jarvis Landry and Donovan Peoples-Jones are both a bit banged up but should play. However, Pro Bowl right tackle Jack Conklin will miss multiple weeks. Conklin suffered a nasty elbow dislocation during the first half of the Browns’ loss to the Steelers. Conklin is rated as Pro Football Focus’ 17th best run-blocking offensive lineman this season.

The Bengals’ last win over the Browns was the second meeting of 2019 at Cincinnati. That was the Bengals’ only win in the past three seasons, as the Browns have won five of the last six matchups.

Why Bet on Cincinnati?

Cincinnati (5-3) was shocked 34-31 at the Jets last Sunday. The Jets gained 511 total yards and scored 34 points on a Bengals defense that entered the contest ranked in the top 10 leaguewide in both yards and points allowed. Cincinnati had been the last team in the NFL that had not allowed more than 25 points in a game this season.

Joe Burrow completed 21-of-34 attempts for 259 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Burrow had a back breaking interception in the fourth quarter. Shaq Lawson read a screen pass from the jump, batting the pass into the air and intercepting it himself. The Jets took the lead on their following possession.

Burrow’s three TDs made him only the second player in league history to begin either their rookie or second NFL season with multiple TD passes in their first eight games (Dan Marino did it his first 10 games in 1984). Joe Mixon rushed 14 times for 33 yards and one touchdown in the Bengals’ Week 8 loss to the Jets, adding four receptions for 58 yards and one TD.

Rookie wideout Ja’Marr Chase had a quiet day with three catches for 32 yards and a TD. Chase has 786 receiving yards, the second-highest total by a player in his first eight career games all-time, trailing Harlon Hill (802). On Sunday, Chase needs 84 receiving yards to surpass Marques Colston (869) for the most by a player ever over his first nine NFL games.

Chase is the fifth player in the Super Bowl era with a touchdown catch in six of his first eight career games, joining Charlie Brown (1982), Colston (2006), Willie Green (1991) and Donte’ Stallworth (2002).

The Bengals lead 51-44 in the “Battle of Ohio” series and have won nine of the last 15 games. Home field has been a factor over the series, as the Bengals lead 31-17 at home but trail 20-27 as the road club. Since the Browns’ rebirth in 1999, the Bengals lead 27-17, including 15-7 as the home team and 12-10 as the visiting team