Browns @ Bengals Betting Preview: Battle of Ohio Part One

The Cleveland Browns will travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium at 1 pm EST on CBS. The Browns are last in the AFC North after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week to put them at 4-4. The Bengals are 5-3 and hold down the second spot after getting upset by the New York Jets last week.

This is the first meeting between the Browns and the Bengals this season. The Bengals have beaten both the Baltimore Ravens and the Steelers in their first meetings this season. The Browns are 0-1 with their only game being against the Steelers.

Odds

The Bengals are a slight 2.5 point favorite in this battle for Ohio. They have the same odds to cover -2.5 as the Browns have to at +2.5 at -110. The over/under for the game is set at 46.5 with odds of -115 to bet the over and -105 to bet the under.

Keys to Victory

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals offense sits in the top 10 in many offensive team rankings. That is greatly due to Joe Burrow and his 67.9% completion percentage. He ranks third in touchdowns with 20, but 29th in interceptions with 9 interceptions. The Bengals will need to establish the run behind Joe Mixon to wear down the Browns defense and keep the offense balanced.

The Bengals defense averages about one takeaway per game which will be needed in this hard-fought matchup. The Browns offense is talented and will score with ease if given the opportunity. Constant pressure from the Bengals defense is needed to keep Baker Mayfield uncomfortable.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns have had great success on the ground with their stars Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. They have lots of talent in their receivers but haven’t had the same amount of success through the air. 

The future of Odell Beckham Jr. has been disrupting the locker room and affecting the fluidity of the offense. Baker has done well limiting crucial mistakes but has only thrown six touchdowns this season.

The defense has been solid in recent years, and this one is no different. They give up the third least amount of yards per game and the second least amount of yards per rush. If they can force Joe Burrow to throw the ball more than what is planned for, the Browns have a chance of stealing a game in Cincinnati.

Expected Outcome

This will be a hard-fought matchup as it always is, and I expect it to be close until the end. This will barely be a home game for the Bengals because the Browns fans will travel the four hours to see their team play.

I think this is a battle of the quarterbacks with two very good defenses. Which quarterback will make more key plays for their team in the end? I’m going to give the edge to the Bengals because they have been more consistent this season, but wouldn’t be surprised if the Browns pulled out with a win.