Betting odds: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
- Spread: Bengals -3
- Over/Under: 47.5
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- TV channel: CBS
>> All odds as of Friday morning. Download The Action Network App to get real-time NFL odds and track your bets
Betting market: The line movement on this game has been essentially nonexistent, as the Bengals have remained 3-point favorites since opening.
No waves of sharp action have come in as of yet, so there’s been no reason for oddsmakers to move the spread off the key number of three. — Mark Gallant
Trends to know: Cincinnati has lost two in a row but Andy Dalton has been good to bettors in this spot. In his career, Dalton is 12-6-1 against the spread when on a losing streak, covering on average by 6.2 points per game.
Dalton has also excelled against the Browns going 11-3 straight up and 9-4-1 ATS. — John Ewing
Referee report: Jerome Boger is the head official for this game, which could be good news for over bettors. Boger is the most profitable official to the over since 2008, , according to our Bet Labs data.
The over is 93-65-1 (58.9%) in Boger's 159-game career (both regular season and playoffs) and 17-8 in the last four seasons. — Evan Abrams
Which team is healthier? Browns
Interim head coach Gregg Williams told the media that the Browns are as healthy as they’ve been since the preseason. The only key players that appear to be at any risk of missing Sunday’s game are center J.C. Tretter (ankle) and tight end David Njoku (knee).
Meanwhile, the Bengals are dealing with injuries to left tackle Cordy Glenn (back), cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (shoulder), wide receiver A.J. Green (toe) and linebacker Nick Vigil (knee).
Note: Info as of 6 p.m. ET Thursday. See our Injury Report for daily practice participation and game statuses up until kickoff. — Ian Hartitz
Biggest mismatch: Browns running backs vs. Bengals linebackers
I can confidently say that Cincinnati has had the worst linebacker play of any team this season — and now the position is in as bad of shape as it has been all season.
The team placed Preston Brown on IR this week, and Vigil is not practicing. Meanwhile, Vontaze Burfict is clearly still not at 100%.
That leaves Hardy Nickerson in the middle and he simply doesn’t have the speed or coverage skills to match up with NFL-caliber tight ends and running backs.
The same can be said of Vincent Rey and Jordan Evans, each of whom will get significant playing time on Sunday. This might be the slowest linebacker corps I’ve seen in quite some time.
As you might expect, the Bengals linebackers have allowed the most yards of any group in the league, and rank 32nd in the NFL defending backs in the passing game, per Football Outsiders.
Just look at what a one-dimensional Ravens' offense running a college scheme did in rookie Lamar Jackson’s first start. The linebackers pretty much knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop it.
Baker Mayfield is a much more polished passer than Jackson and thrives when throwing to his backs out of the backfield. Expect big days from Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson out of the backfield. — Stuckey
DFS edge: After a few disappointing outings over the past few weeks, Jarvis Landry’s price is at its second-lowest point of the season on DraftKings ($5,900).
The last time he was this cheap was when he was $5,500 against the Steelers in Week 1. The volume is still there for Landry as he’s seeing 27% of their market share of targets.
The Bengals have been throttled by players in the slot this year, allowing 146.3 receiving yards per game to slot receivers, the second-highest mark in the league. —Justin Bailey
Bet to watch: Browns +3
I previously mentioned how much success the running backs can have in the passing game against a very slow group of linebackers. Well, the Browns can also take advantage of that group with Mayfield’s legs (as Jackson did last week rushing for over 100 yards) while Landry and Njoku should have plenty of space in the middle of the field.
I also haven’t even mentioned Cleveland’s regular rushing attack, which ranks seventh in the NFL at 4.8 yards per carry. That unit should thrive against a Bengals defense that allows 5.0 yards per rush (30th in the NFL) — due to those same weak linebackers and a defensive line that simply hasn’t lived up to the hype — outside of Geno Atkins.
In fact, the Bengals’ defensive line ranks 31st in the NFL in adjusted line yards, per Football Outsiders.
On the other side of the ball, the Browns' defensive line can take advantage of an abysmal Cincinnati offensive line, especially with starting LT Cordy Glenn (who hasn’t been great himself) listed on the injury report.
Green also didn’t practice on Wednesday, and without him at 100%, the Browns have a capable enough secondary to contain a Bengals' passing attack that has already lost a number of key targets.
Bottom line: The Browns can take advantage of the Bengals' primary weaknesses, especially when on offense. They are also much healthier and coming off of a bye. I think Cincy's free fall continues. — Stuckey
Editor’s note: The opinions on this game are from the individual writers and are based on their research, analysis and perspective. They are independent of, and may not always match with, the algorithm-driven Best Bets from Sports Insights.
