The Cleveland Browns have been dealing with a lot of issues this week related to COVID-19. A total of 18 players from both the active and practice squad rosters were on the reserve/COVID-19 list as of Wednesday. Not only is the pure number a huge problem for depth for the team but the team has been hit at key positions and key players.
The Browns defense has been hit at every position: defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker, cornerback and safety. The Cleveland offense has only been spared in the running back room with the remaining positions all missing players on the list: quarterback, offensive line, tight end and wide receiver.
The Browns opened this week as a 5.5 point favorite over the Las Vegas Raiders. As of Thursday morning, Tipico has made a huge seven-point swing in the odds making the Raiders a 1.5 point favorite on the road. The game now also has the lowest point total expectation of any game this week, all the way down to 38.5.
For perspective, the Houston Texans (2-11) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2-11 and just having fired Urban Meyer mid-week) play each other in Week 15 and have a higher point total at 39.5.
The betting lines will be interesting to watch as the week goes on especially if the Browns get any players back from injury or the reserve/COVID-19 list. As of now, Cleveland is a slight underdog at home due to all the players expected to miss the game.