Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals Bet Preview

The Cincinnati Bengals will travel up I-71 to Cleveland to take on the Browns on Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX. The Bengals are 10-6 and have clinched the AFC North after beating the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend. The Browns are 7-9 and are officially out of playoff contention.

This is the first time since 2009 since the Bengals have won the AFC North. They were able to beat the then leaders of the AFC in a thrilling 34-31 game in Cincinnati. Ja’Marr Chase was awarded the Offensive Player of the Week after having more receiving yards than Patrick Mahomes had passing.

Let’s look ahead at this season's finale AFC North matchup.

Odds

The Browns are six-point favorites with -105 odds at this spread. The Bengals, at +6, have odds of -115 to cover. The over/under for the game is 38.5 with odds of +100 to bet the over and -120 to bet the under. The moneyline for the Browns and Bengals is -225 and +195, respectively. 

Cleveland is 7-9 against the spread this year compared to the Bengals who are 9-7 in that same span. It should be an interesting matchup with many players sitting from both teams including Joe Burrow and Baker Mayfield, who is undergoing shoulder surgery.

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What is There to Play For?

Outside of the Battle For Ohio that Cleveland won earlier in the year, there is not much to play for in this one. With Cleveland being out of playoff contention, their sights are set on next year, hoping to make up for an underwhelming 2021 season.

The Bengals are in the playoffs and have a chance to get a better position by becoming the No. 2 team and get a home-field advantage or a first-round bye with the No.1 seed. There are many different scenarios that the Bengals achieve the No. 2 spot if Cincinnati beats Cleveland

For the Bengals to achieve the No. 1 seed, the Bengals would have to win, the Titans need to lose to the Texans, the Chiefs need to lose to the Broncos and either the Bills or the Patriots need to lose their games.

Expected Outcome

This game is hard to call since neither team will be at full strength, but I think it will be close, nonetheless, because this rivalry between these two teams is bigger than whether it matters or not.

I would give the Browns the slight edge because I think that they will be playing more of their players and their defense will be able to take care of the Bengals’ second-team offense, especially in Cleveland. 

On the other hand, the Bengals have more to play for than the Browns because they can improve on their No. 3 seed and either get a first-round bye or home field advantage. The Bengals’ success heavily depends on who will suit up on Sunday.