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Sports Interaction Staff
Giants vs. Browns Point Spread: NFL Pre-Season Week 2 Odds, Prediction
After spoiling Trevor Lawrence’s NFL debut with a lopsided 23-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in last weekend’s pre-season opener, the Cleveland Browns look to extend their recent dominance in August matchups when they host the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Giants travel to Cleveland after stumbling to a 12-7 loss in last weekend’s home date with the New York Jets
The Browns have emerged as 5.5-point home favourites on the NFL preseason odds, with the total listed at just 35.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
These two teams last met in Week 15 of last season, with the Browns racking up a 20-6 road victory on the strength of a pair of 95-yard scoring drives engineered by quarterback Baker Mayfield. That marked Cleveland’s first regular-season victory over the Giants since 2008. However, it is the Browns who hold the edge in recent pre-season matchups, going 3-1 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) in their past four, with each of those victories coming as betting underdogs. Low scoring has been a consistent theme in recent meetings between these teams, with the under prevailing in totals betting in three of their four August tilts, and in their past two regular-season matchups.
New York Giants
With quarterback Daniel Jones on the sidelines, the Giants offence struggled to get going in last week’s loss to the Jets. The Giants generated negative yards in three of their five possessions after recess, ending the contest with just 163 total yards. Ranked 31st in the NFL in points scored last season, New York has typically fared much better in the pre-season, topping 30 points in seven of their past 11 August dates.
Jones was on the shelf with an injury in the Giants’ loss to Cleveland last December, and while he is participating in joint practices with the Browns, he is unlikely to see action on Sunday afternoon. Saquon Barkley’s highly anticipated return from injury is also not going to happen in time for this weekend. However, New York will be counting on another solid outing from receiver David Sills, who made three catches for 49 yards against the Jets.
Cleveland Browns
Buoyed by last week’s crushing win over the hapless Jaguars, the Browns are well-positioned to make it two in a row on Sunday afternoon. Winners of 11 games last season, the Browns have also gained a reputation as a dominant pre-season force while posting victories in 11 of 13 August contests since the start of the 2017 campaign. The Cleveland defence has been consistently smothering during that stretch, limiting opponents to fewer than 11 points per game while going 5-1 SU at home. However, they have managed to claim victory by six or more points just twice over that six-game home stretch.
Kyle Lauletta turned heads with his performance in last week’s win over the Jags. A fourth-round pick by the Giants in the 2018 NFL Draft, Lauletta went 19-for-27 for 212 yards and two TDs against Jacksonville, putting him in line for a long look on Sunday afternoon.
NYG
CLE