Thursday Night Football: Bengals vs Browns pick against the spread
The first week of the National Football League is in the books and there is a big challenge for everyone that bets on football. Don’t overreact. It’s almost impossible to do, but whether you play fantasy football or bet on the NFL, you have to be patient. Most people are not and it is obvious in the early game as the public is already betting big money on the Thursday night football game.
Buying in on Burrow
The top sportsbooks to bet football at opened the Thursday night football line by making the Browns (-7.5) favorites. After NFL fans examined the results from last weekend the point spread on this game quickly changed. The Bengals are getting over 60 percent of the wagers on this popular game and the line has dropped dramatically. It fell below the key number of 7 and now the Browns are as low as -5.5. Make sure that you shop all of the sportsbooks trying to find the best number before you bet on this game.
Rating the Rookie
Joe Burrow was spectacular in his first start ever as the Bengals signal-caller. He went 23-of-36 for 193 yards, but it was his persona that was most impressive. He led the team late in a two-minute drive with no timeouts to get the team in scoring position. Unfortunately, a missed field goal ruined the comeback effort, but there is every reason to believe that the Bengals have the future of this franchise.
They will have to protect Burrow better as he was sacked three times and hit six times. The young Burrow now goes up against a Browns defense that was scorched in week one against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. This Browns defense will have a much better outing against a Bengals line that is porous.
Bailing on the Browns
Before you bail on the Browns, you have to remember that they did play the Baltimore Ravens, arguably the best team in football. If the Browns have a bright spot, it’s the running game. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 132 yards on 23 carries, an average of 5.7 yards per attempt. Against the Chargers the Bengals allowed 155 rushing yards that did not have a strong showing on offense. This will open up deep passes and allow Baker Mayfield to utilize the play-action to open up the offense.
Bengals vs Browns pick against the spread
The Browns cannot afford to lose another game to a team from the AFC North. They have an edge playing at home on Thursday night football. This game has always been tough for the travel team. Favorites are 48-25 straight up and 37-33-3 against the spread (ATS) in this game. The favorite has cashed a winning bet ticket in 8 of the last 10 meetings between these teams. The Browns will be happy to be at home and will be able to establish the run against the Bengals. This will open up passing lanes for Mayfield and he will get some redemption with a big win in the second game of the season.