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Sports Interaction Staff
Browns vs. Broncos Point Spread: NFL Week 9 Odds, Prediction
The Cleveland Browns have been passed in the AFC North standings by the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team on their third quarterback of the season.
No one really expected the Browns to beat the Patriots in Week 8, but did people expect them to look completely disorganized coming off their bye week? There were big hopes for this team coming into the year, but every week they seem to regress.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Browns don’t do particularly well when playing in the Broncos’ house, dropping 10 of their last 11 visits to Denver. The most recent winner between these two, however, was Cleveland, who won on the road last year with a final score of 17-16.
With Flacco sidelined by injury, the Browns are -3 point favorites this weekend.
Cleveland Browns
Baker Mayfield and company didn’t look particularly well-rested on the return from their bye. Granted, they were playing the unbeaten New England Patriots, but they often looked like they’d forgotten how to play football altogether. Before the first quarter had even ended, the Browns had turned the ball over on three offensive snaps in a row.
They were simply outmatched, in every possible way, and lost 27-13 to the Pats. Baker Mayfield was, controversially, the number one draft pick in 2018. He is currently tied with Jameis Winston for most interceptions this season. His passer rating of 67.8 is the third lowest, just above Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen.
The Browns make too many careless mistakes and play like a team without a true leader.
Denver Broncos
Another heartbreaker for the Broncos last Sunday, coming close to a much-needed win, only to lose in the final moments of the game. This time they lost to the veteran foot of Adam Vinatieri, who got the game-winning field goal as time expired to bring the final score to 15-13. To make matters worse, QB Joe Flacco is out with a herniated disc and won’t start this weekend against the Browns. Coach Vic Fangio told press that although Flacco may not need immediate surgery, he’s not ruling out the possibility that he ends up on the injured reserve list.
Taking over for Flacco will be 27-year-old Brandon Allen. Allen was a sixth-round pick by the Jaguars in 2016. The Broncos grabbed him on waivers and he’s been backup to Flacco since the beginning of September. This will be his first NFL start.
CLE
DEN