Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns December 17 Betting Preview

The Favorite: Browns (-154)

The Browns enter this matchup as the slight favorite despite coming off a disappointing loss to the Bengals in Cincinnati in Deshaun Watson’s second game overall as their quarterback. The Browns' offense looked much better in the second half, but again, like most of this season, Browns fans were let down due to a slow start and undisciplined mistakes.

The Browns had given up almost 100 yards in penalties to the Bengals last Sunday, which has many fans questioning if this team is even worth watching the rest of the way.

It’s obvious the eyes are set on next season with this team, and the injury bug has reared its ugly head again, asking if the Browns should just shut it down and give some rest to the team. After losing Sione Takitaki two weeks ago, the Browns unfortunately put Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah on injured reserve, effectively ending his season.

This now leaves the Browns with zero starting linebackers to finish the year. There also seem to be some nagging injuries, as Denzel Ward, John Johnson, and Myles Garrett ended up on the injury report for this week's practice.

On offense, the offensive line has looked like it has folded in on itself. Penalties and just poor execution have completely limited this offense. The offensive line did Nick Chubb no favors, as he had no pathways to run the ball against the Bengals. They also did not warmly welcome Deshaun Watson, as he was constantly getting hit and pressured by the stout Bengals defense.

Special teams even had some dumb penalties that have people questioning the coaching staff again, as immature plays like roughing the kicker and Cade York throwing a tantrum after not being allowed to kick a 67-yard field goal to end the first half were caught on television.

In this upcoming game against the Ravens, the Browns depleted front seven will have difficulty slowing down running backs J.K Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Luckily, they won't have to deal with the elusive Lamar Jackson at quarterback.

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Baltimore +3

The Ravens are rolling, but they have also got some unfortunate injuries that came in. First, Lamar Jackson goes down with a knee injury that will most likely require him to miss one more week, along with some key injuries on defense as well.

The Ravens run defense will also play a significant factor on the other side of the ball as Baltimore has posted the seventh best run defense and third best yards per carry in the league. This, along with the poor play of the Browns offensive line, may lead to forcing the Browns to focus on the air game, rendering Nick Chubb useless.

With the spread being (+3), one Justin Tucker field goal could change your bet slip if miscalculated. This Ravens team is 5-1 in their last six, and even with a backup quarterback, I still think there’s a genuine chance they can cover and even get the “upset” win over a Browns team that is most likely just packing it in for the season.

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