The Cleveland Browns will host the Cincinnati Bengals as big home favorites in the Week 2 Thursday Night Football matchup, setting up a showdown between Baker Mayfield and Joe Burrow, two of the last three top overall NFL draft picks and Heisman Trophy Sportsbooks.
- Date/Time: September 17, 8:20 p.m. ET
- Stadium: FirstEnergy Stadium
- TV Coverage: NFL
- Sportsbook Odds: Browns -8.5 | O/U 46 (Line History)
- Bengals vs Browns Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Early money has come in on the underdog Bengals and the UNDER so far, and those trends could both continue late leading up to kickoff. The Browns looked absolutely abysmal against the Baltimore Ravens in a 38-6 loss in Week 1, with Mayfield struggling in his second offense in three years.
It will take some time for new Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski to get his system working properly, and that means his team may be more on par with Cincinnati early on despite the supposed difference in talent level.
Cincinnati News & Notes
The Bengals had their moments in last week’s 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and would have at least tied the game had kicker Randy Bullock not missed a 31-yard field goal with two seconds remaining because his calf cramped up. It was a typical way for Cincinnati to lose based on the franchise’s unlucky history, and even Burrow could not save the day.
The game started off well with Burrow running for a 23-yard touchdown to give the Bengals an early 7-0 lead. And they led 13-6 in the fourth quarter before the Chargers scored 10 unanswered points to steal the victory. Burrow ended up throwing for 193 yards with one interception in his debut, and he added 46 yards on the ground.
Cleveland News & Notes
While Cincinnati at least earned a PUSH on the point spread as a 3-point underdog, Cleveland was not even close at Baltimore. The Browns were crushed by the Ravens, trailing 24-6 at halftime and then getting blanked in the final two quarters.
Mayfield completed 21 of 39 passes for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and the only thing you can say about his performance vs Burrow’s is that at least he played a much better opponent.
One positive for Cleveland, though, is that the two-headed rushing attack of Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb combined for 132 yards on 23 carries. Bettors may see much more of Hunt and Chubb here as Mayfield adjusts to a new system.
Betting Pick: UNDER 44
These teams combined to score 19 points in a pair of losses last week, and the UNDER trends in this matchup are overwhelming. The Browns have seen their last seven prime-time games all fall UNDER the total, and the lack of a preseason will come into play once again. The two offenses will struggle to score Thursday night in a low-scoring affair.
- Cincinnati is 8-3 SU and 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games vs Cleveland.
- The Bengals are 0-13 SU in their last 13 road games.
- The UNDER is 6-2 in Cincinnati’s last 8 road games.
