Bengals vs. Browns Point Spread: NFL Week 8 Odds, Prediction
The Battle of Ohio concludes Week 8 in the NFL on Monday as the Cincinnati Bengals look for a bit of payback against the Cleveland Browns. The Bengals are 3-point favourites to win on the NFL odds, with a total of 47.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Not the best marketing by the NFL to put two smallish Midwest teams from the same state on Monday Night Football, but frankly it doesn’t really matter because MNF is such a behemoth regardless that millions will tune in and bet on the game.
The Bengals were much better than the Browns last year and won the AFC North title on the way to reaching Super Bowl 56, yet Cleveland swept the season series. It was a 41-16 rout in Cincinnati as Baker Mayfield outplayed Joe Burrow (that seems funny now). The season finale in Cleveland can essentially be thrown out as the Bengals were locked into their division title and playoff seeding, so they rested Burrow and most others and lost 21-16. The quarterbacks that day were Brandon Allen for Cincinnati and Case Keenum for Cleveland.
The underdog is 5-0 against the spread in the past five meetings.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals appeared to have a bit of a Super Bowl Loser’s Curse early on – as did Burrow — but they have won four of five following a 35-17 win over Atlanta on Sunday. If you had Burrow on your fantasy team, you surely won as he threw for 481 yards and three scores and also rushed for a touchdown. He became the third player in NFL history with at least 475 passing yards, three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdowns in a single game, joining Norm Van Brocklin (Sept. 28, 1951) and Billy Volek (Dec. 19, 2004). It was Burrow’s fifth career game with at least 400 passing yards, surpassing Dan Marino (four) for the most such games by a player in his first three seasons all-time. Both Tyler Boyd and Ja’Marr Chase had at least 130 yards receiving.
The Bengals have a plus-10 touchdown differential, only second to the Bills. Defensively, Cincinnati has yet to surrender a second-half touchdown this season, the first team since the 2000 Ravens to accomplish that feat through the first seven weeks. The Bengals are 8-1 ATS in their past nine on the road.
Cleveland Browns
By the time QB Deshaun Watson returns from his 11-game suspension, the Browns might already be eliminated from playoff contention as they lost a fourth straight on Sunday, 23-20 in Baltimore. The Browns were set to try about a 56-yard field goal to tie with under two minutes left but a false start penalty moved it back five yards and it was blocked. Special teams has been a disaster all year. Jacoby Brissett played OK in the loss in completing 22 of 27 for 258 yards but no TDs.
“We found a way to lose the game,” said running back Kareem Hunt. “We’ve been doing that a lot.”
Top tight end David Njoku left with an ankle injury after he caught a team-high seven passes for 71 yards and will miss at least a few games. Cleveland is 4-13 ATS in its past 17 vs. the AFC North.
CIN
CLE