Andy Dalton has never lost as a home favorite against the AFC North in his career (6-0), and the
Cincinnati Bengals have a huge opportunity to remain in the thick of the division title hunt with a win here. How big of an upset would it be if the
Cleveland Browns were able to beat the Bengals in Cincinnati? Cleveland is 1-9 straight up in Cincinnati since 2004, losing by slightly less than a touchdown per contest.
Thursday's matchup will be particularly difficult for the Browns' defense on the ground. The Browns are tied for 30th in rushing yards per game (139.6) and are 29th in yards per rush (4.8). Meanwhile, the Bengals are ninth in rushing yards per game (121.6) and fourth in yards after contact per rush (1.95).
Of the Browns' eight games this season, they have allowed seven rushing touchdowns and 100 rushing yards in seven of them. Whether it is
Giovani Bernard or
Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati should give Cleveland fits in the running game.
In the past three seasons, Cincinnati has the sixth-best win percentage at home, with a record of 16-4-1. During the same span, Cleveland is 3-16 on the road, which is the second-worst road winning percentage in the NFL.
According to
ESPN Insider's PickCenter, the public is currently backing the Bengals at a clip of 78 percent at the line of Cincinnati minus-6.
Let's look at analysis and an ATS pick on the game from our panel of wiseguys and some prop bet picks from John Parolin of ESPN Stats & Information:
Matchup:
Cleveland Browns at
Cincinnati Bengals Spread: Opened Cincinnati minus-6; now Cincinnati minus-6
Total: Opened 44.5; now 44.5
Picks
Dave Tuley says: "At the start of the season, not many people thought this Thursday night matchup could have playoff implications, but it sure does. However, I think Cleveland is still a few notches below Cincinnati and I don't feel like six points is enough for me to back the underdog here, especially as the Bengals are pretty good at protecting their home turf (though I did cash going against them with Carolina plus-7 and Jacksonville plus-11 last week). Instead, I'm looking to bet the under (44.5). The Browns were a strong 'over' team to start the season, but they've had four straight 'unders' and this should be a hard-hitting playoff-type battle with points at a premium (as long as the defenses don't score)."
Pick: Under 44.5.
Erin Rynning says: "Mike Pettine has done an excellent job in his first year as head coach of the Browns, positioning them with a 5-3 record. The offense started the campaign as the surprise of the league under the new direction of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, averaging nearly 27 points per game in their first five games. However, during their win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 12 they lost starting center
Alex Mack. He was the leader of the offensive line, making the line calls and identifying the opposition's fronts. They've taken a huge step back offensively since his injury, and note that they've played Tampa Bay, Oakland and Jacksonville the past three weeks; not exactly the '85 Bears. This Bengals defense will provide a much stiffer challenge. However, the Bengals' defense is currently on shaky ground, while allowing a troubling 30.8 points per game since the debacle against New England. In addition, the Bengals will be without linebacker
Vontaze Burfict, and most likely, cornerback
Leon Hall. There's just no value on the side or total for this Thursday tilt. Pass."
Pick: Pass.
Maddux Sports says: "For the season, my model favors Cincinnati by four points, but Cleveland has looked much worse since the loss of Mack. Being outgained 4.8 yards per play to 5.3 yards per play against three dregs of the league like Jacksonville, Oakland, and Tampa Bay is really troubling. The Browns' running game has been putrid, averaging fewer than two yards per carry in those games. The Bengals have played well at home, but this is still a team I don't trust laying more than a field goal. Both of these teams have been on my go-against list for the past few weeks. Based on that, it is unfortunate that they are matching up on Thursday. I wont be involved in this one, and really don't have much of an opinion side-wise."
ATS pick: Pass.
Wunderdog says: "Record-wise, these two teams are pretty close. But, the reality is that Cincinnati is simply the better team. The Browns own a surprising 5-3 record, but much of that comes courtesy of a soft schedule and a plus-7 turnover differential (fourth best in the league). If we look at yards per play, this team is mediocre on offense and below average on defense. They have had the distinct advantage of playing the three worst teams in the league thus far: Oakland, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville, and they actually lost to the Jags. Cincinnati started the season 3-0 and were the talk of the town, then the Bengals ran into the buzz saw that is the
New England Patriots. After that, they tied Carolina and lost to Indy, leaving them at 3-2-1. But, they could have (should have) beaten Carolina, and if they did the Bengals would be sitting at 6-2 with their losses coming to two very good teams in New England and Indy."
"In the end, this team remains a bit underrated and is still very good -- better than its cross-state rivals. The Bengals just don't lose in this building. They are 12-1 here since last season, including 4-0 this season, putting up 30.8 points per game. During the past three seasons, Cincinnati is 8-1 SU versus teams like Cleveland that allow 375-plus yards per game. In fact, in the Marvin Lewis era at home, this team is 16-2 SU versus these bad defenses. While the game may end up being close -- making an ATS play questionable -- I really like the home team to win this one, so take them on the money line."
Pick: Bengals (minus-260)
Prop bets Total points by the Browns: 19.0 at Bengals (O/U -110)Playing without their most important offensive player has really hurt the Browns this year. No, not
Josh Gordon. Cleveland's offense has really missed Mack the past three weeks, averaging 17.0 points per game against the Jaguars', Raiders' and Buccaneers' defenses.
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Cleveland Browns Rushing This SeasonWith, without
Alex Mack
Stat With Without Yds per rush 4.41 2.59 YBC per rush* 2.86 1.53 1st down pct 25.0 12.5 Rushes per TD 22.7 37.3 *Yards before contact per rush
Source: ESPN Stats & Information
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His impact on the rushing game in particular cannot be understated, with the Browns rushing for first downs at half their previous percentage since Mack broke his leg. Cleveland averaged 146.4 rush yards per game started by Mack (including Week 6, the game in which he was injured), but gained only 158 rush yards
total in the three games since (52.7 yards per game).
Simply put, the Browns aren't going to have success running the ball, so can they pass against the Bengals?
Brian Hoyer's combined QBR in his past three games (without Mack) is a brutal 25.5, and that's against teams ranked 15th, 26th and 30th in QBR allowed this year -- two of those games were at home. The Bengals are sixth in QBR allowed, and would present a tougher task for the Browns even with
Jordan Cameron (out with a concussion) and a healthy
Andrew Hawkins (questionable with a thigh/knee injury).
The play: Under.
Andy Dalton 20.5 completions (O/U -110)Using the past three weeks as the benchmark, Browns opponents have run an average of 70 plays per week. The Bengals have dropped back to pass on 55.4 percent of snaps, so applying the 55.4 percent to Cleveland's recent opponent average gives Andy Dalton 38.8 dropbacks (38 for our purposes).
If Dalton drops back to pass 38 times, applying his season rates will get 36 pass attempts (and two sacks/scrambles). Dalton's season completion percentage is 64.9 percent, and Cleveland's defense has allowed opponents to complete 60 percent of passes. Averaging out the two gets a 62.5 completion percentage that can be applied to Dalton's 36 attempts to get just more than 22 completions, enough to hit the over.
If Cleveland can't run the ball and keep the clock moving (see above), they'll be facing frequent third-and-long situations and short drives. This is admittedly an imperfect comparison, but helps, given the odds are the same in either direction, especially when considering a lot of Cincinnati's play-calling rates above were largely without a healthy
A.J. Green.
The Bengals have dropped back to pass on 61.6 percent of snaps with Green on the field and 51.6 percent without him. Though Dalton isn't about to throw 45 times a game, the Browns have allowed at least 21 completions in five of eight games this season, and 17 of their past 24 games, dating back to the start of last season.
The play: Over.