Winners or not, the Cincinnati Bengals are rather big underdogs against the Cleveland Browns in Week 14.
The first in-state battle between the two takes place in Cleveland, which might somewhat explain the big disparity from oddsmakers. The Bengals opened as 8.5-point underdogs, according to BetMGM.
Prior to a loss in Pittsburgh over the weekend the Browns had won three straight, bringing the current record to 5-7. But erratic might be the best way to describe a Browns team with Baker Mayfield hardly completing 60 percent of his passes with just one more touchdown than interception and a defense now forced to play without Myles Garrett.
At least on paper, this game figures to be a little more competitive than it seemed even a few weeks ago. The Bengals just picked up their first win of the season with Andy Dalton back under center.
This one can’t go classified as a surefire bet either way. Fans and would-be bettors will find out quickly whether the Bengals are really surging or simply took advantage of a bumbling New York Jets opponent. Call this one good groundwork to help better figure out and predict the rematch in Week 17.
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