49ers vs. Browns Point Spread: NFL Week 13 Odds, Prediction
The Browns are coming off a win against the Raiders on the road, while the 49ers covered the spread in what was otherwise a pretty uninspiring win over the Panthers on Monday Night Football.
With the Browns looking to pick up their second straight victory and San Francisco looking to maintain its spot in a very crowded NFC playoff picture, let’s get into our 49ers vs Browns predictions for this Week 13 on Sunday.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Even though they appear to be the clearly inferior side on paper, the Browns are only underdogs by five points against San Francisco, and much of that is due to the 49ers’ current situation at quarterback, along with the weather forecast projecting some serious wind and cold temperatures. With both offences not operating at their best of late and the ominous weather forecast, it’s not a surprise at all that this total has been bet down to 37.5 in this one.
On the NFL odds board, the 49ers are 7-5 against the spread this season, while the Browns are 5-6 ATS on the year. Games involving the 49ers typically go over the total, with the Over cashing in seven of their 12 games played to this point (with one push). Cleveland has also generally been an Over team more often than not, with six of its 11 games going above the number thus far.
San Francisco 49ers
This has been one of Kyle Shanahan’s best coaching jobs in recent memory, as the 49ers have been able to deal with injury and attrition and roll with the punches en route to an 8-4 record without the services of their starting quarterback for most of the season. However, Brock Purdy’s return was anything but smooth against the Panthers last week, as he threw a trio of interceptions in what was a concerning performance at home. Now, Purdy will have to play a ferocious Browns defensive front that should be able to generate consistent pressure and force him into mistakes throughout the contest.
Cleveland Browns
There wasn’t much that we could take from Shedeur Sanders’ debut, as the rookie quarterback finished with a QBR of 87.3 and Cleveland finished with a 26% success rate against the lowly Raiders defence. I don’t expect things to improve all that much this week, especially with the weather making it hard for the Browns to throw the ball downfield in any real capacity. Cleveland should look to keep the ball on the ground and grind this one out in a game that should be played in the low-to-mid 30s.
NFL Prediction: Who Will Win 49ers vs. Browns?
This contest could go in several different directions, especially since it’s on a short week for San Francisco and there is some uncertainty surrounding how both teams will handle the weather. With that in mind, it’s hard to ignore backing the Browns in this spot, especially considering the struggles that the 49ers have had in cold weather in recent seasons, along with this being just the second game back for Purdy against an excellent defence on the road.
This is not a game where I can forecast much scoring, as both teams should struggle to move the ball and close out drives with touchdowns. With that in mind, let’s look for the 49ers to grind out a victory in a low-scoring affair by a score in the region of 17-13.
SF
CLE