The Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns are finally set to play on Monday night after days of uncertainty due to a COVID-19 outbreak across Cleveland's roster.
Because of all the back and forth, the betting line between the two has been a roller coaster. When the game kicks off at 5 p.m. ET, it's likely the Raiders will close as the favorite. It wasn't exactly a straight line getting there, though.
At the beginning of the week, Cleveland opened as a 6.5-point favorite. It was then that word started to spread about a potential outbreak. Left tackle Jedrick Wills, tight end Austin Hooper, wide receiver Jarvis Landry, guard Wyatt Teller and defensive end Takk McKinley were part of the first wave to be placed on the COVID/reserve list.
The first big move happened the following day. On Wednesday, the team announced quarterback Baker Mayfield and head coach Kevin Stefanski tested positive. That pushed the line down to Cleveland -1.
The line briefly climbed back up to 3.5, but Case Keenum joined Mayfield on the reserve list, leaving the team to prepare Nick Mullens for the start.
Browns vs. Raiders Line Movement 📊
12/14: CLE -6.5
12/15: CLE -1
12/16: CLE -3.5
12/17: CLE +1.5
12/18: CLE +3
12/19: CLE -1.5
Today: CLE +1.5 pic.twitter.com/iLakSBqM0q— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 20, 2021
On Friday, the line finally moved to the Raiders' side making them a 1.5-point favorite. However, when the NFL moved the game to Monday, some previous bets were canceled due to house rules of the sportsbooks where the bet was placed.
The line re-opened at Cleveland -1.5 but once Mayfield and Keenum were officially ruled out for Monday's date, the line jumped back to Las Vegas -3, making it a 9.5-point move from start to finish.
One hour before kick, the line still stood at Raiders -3, though the juice varies from book to book — some have Vegas at +100, others at -110.
