The Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) and Cleveland Browns (0-1) square off Thursday night at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland at 8:20 p.m. ET (on NFL Network). Below, we preview the Bengals-Browns betting odds and lines and make our NFL picks and best bets.
Bengals at Browns betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6 a.m.
- Money line: Browns -250 (bet $250, win $100) | Bengals +210 (Bet $100, win $210)
- Against the spread/ATS: Browns -6 (-110) | Bengals +6 (-110)
- Over/Under: 43.5 (O: -110, U: -110)
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Bengals at Browns game notes
- The Bengals suffered a heartbreaking loss last week in “The Jungle,” falling 16-13 to the Los Angeles Chargers when K Randy Bullock misfired on a 31-yard FG attempt, which would have forced overtime. He pulled up lame with an apparent calf injury, too.
- The Browns posted one of the worst performances of Week 1, getting drummed 38-6 at the Baltimore Ravens. Cleveland allowed 377 total yards, including 270 through the air, while losing the turnover battle 3-1.
- The Bengals are 8-3 ATS in their past 11 as a road underdog, but they’re 3-7 ATS in the past 10 as an underdog overall dating back to last season.
- The Browns have covered just once in the past five inside the division, including a non-cover last week in their beating at Baltimore. They are 7-2 ATS in their past nine appearances on Thursday nights, however.
- The favorite has hit in eight of the past 10 battles of Ohio, while the Under is 5-1-1 in the previous seven in Cleveland. Cincinnati has dominated against the number in the series lately, going 9-2 ATS in the past 11 battles, and it’s 5-1 ATS in its past six trips up Interstate 71 in Cleveland.
Bengals at Browns key injuries
Bengals
- DT Geno Atkins (shoulder) out
- K Randy Bullock (calf) questionable
- DT Mike Daniels (groin) out
- G Xavier Su’a-Filo (ankle) out
- S Shawn Williams (calf) out
Browns
- OT Jack Conklin (ankle, finger) questionable
- CB Kevin Johnson (liver) out
- WR Jarvis Landry (hip) questionable
- C JC Tretter (knee) questionable
- DE Olivier Vernon (abdomen) questionable
- CB Greedy Williams (shoulder) out
- LB Mack Wilson (knee) out
Bengals at Browns: Odds, betting lines, picks and prediction
Prediction
Browns 23, Bengals 20
Money line (?)
It’s a big surprising the Browns (-250) are heavily favored, as if the bookmakers didn’t actually see their Week 1 game. They were horrible, and it wasn’t even close. The Bengals (+210) played a good Chargers team to the final gun and suffered a tough loss. If anything, the money line play here that makes sense is Cincinnati. But I’ll PASS.
Against the spread (?)
The BENGALS (+6, -110) have dominated this series against the number. If you were fortunate enough to get on it early, you could have bet it as high as +7.5. Six points always makes me nervous, but I saw both of these teams play last week, and I think Bengals RB Joe Mixon has a chance to run roughshod over the Browns.
Over/Under (?)
The Over edged the Under 9-7 in Week 1, but both of these teams hit the Under in their openers. In fact, these two teams combined for just 19 points on offense. Offensively, both sides should be much better in Week 2, but it’s a quick turnaround, and preparing for a Thursday game was already a chore pre-COVID. My lean is ever so slightly to the Under 43.5 (-110), but the best thing to do here is AVOID.
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Also see:
- Get the latest news from Cincinnati (Bengals Wire)
- Last-minute insight from Cleveland (Browns Wire)
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