Cleveland Browns vs Cincinnati Bengals 10/25/2020 – NFL Betting Odds and Prediction

The Cleveland Browns look to get back on track as they visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, October 25, 2020.

Cleveland saw its four-game winning run snapped by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield played with a rib injury and was eventually benched. Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s disappointing start continued the last time out when they were defeated by the Indianapolis Colts 31-27. The Bengals have kept their games close but they have not found the formula to win close games.

The last time these teams met, the Browns won 35-20 in Cleveland with the Bengals covering a six-point spread.

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns suffered its first setback in five games in Week 6. Cleveland fell to 4-2 on the season and they are in third place in the NFC North Division, trailing leader Pittsburgh by 1.5 games and 2nd place Baltimore by one game. The big question for the Browns is Baker Mayfield’s condition after he ended up getting benched in their last game due to injury.

Mayfield has passed for a total of 1,095 yards with 10 touchdowns, However, Cleveland signal-caller also has six interceptions and has been sacked 11 times this season. Kareem Hunt leads the Cleveland ground attack with 387 yards while Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry each have 319 receiving yards for the Browns. OBJ has caught three touchdown passes but Landry has yet to be the recipient of one.

The Browns are scoring an average of 26.8 points per game and they lead the league in rushing yards with an average of 169.5 per outing. However, their passing game is only 29th overall at 189.3 yards per contest. Cleveland’s defense is giving up 365.7 yards per game including only 94.5 yards on the ground. BJ Goodson has 26 solo tackles and 18 assisted tackles while Adrian Clayborn and Sheldon Richardson have two interceptions each.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals blew a 21-point lead against the Colts the last time out. Cincinnati raced to a 21-0 lead against Indianapolis but could not hold on and lost 31-27 on the road to fall to 1-5 on the season. Rookie quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 313 yards with one rushing touchdown and an interception. But after a quick start, they managed just six points after that and went scoreless in six out of their last seven drives.

Burrow has passed for 1,617 yards this season. He has six touchdowns and only four interceptions but the no. 1 overall pick of this year’s draft has been sacked 24 times in his first six NFL games. Joe Mixon leads the Bengals with 428 rushing yards while wideout Tyler Boyd has caught 416 yards and has one touchdown grab. Veteran AJ Green had a big game against the Colts with 96 receiving yards.

Cincinnati ranks 26th in the league in scoring at 21.5 points per game this season. They are 24th on the ground at 101.8 yards per contest and 241.5 yards through the air which is 18th overall. Defensively, they are allowing 394.7 yards of offense per game including 142.3 yards on the ground. Von Bell has 26 solo and 19 assisted tackles while Carl Lawson has 3.5 sacks.

Who Wins?

Cleveland is 4-1 SU in their last five games played. The Browns are 1-2 SU in three road games played this season, and 1-4 SU in their last five games against the NFC North Division. Cincinnati is 3-16-1 SU in their last 20 games played. The Bengals are 4-10 SU in their last 14 games played at home. Head to head, the Browns are 4-1 SU in their last five games played against the Bengals. However, Cincinnati is 9-2 SU in their last 11 home games against Cleveland.

The Browns looked like they were ready to be placed among the playoff contenders before last week. Mayfield was hurt and then benched with the Browns down 31-7. His status is unsure but it’s likely he will play in Week 7. Cleveland leads the league in rushing attempts and it’s become obvious that they are looking at their running game to lead them to wins. Nick Chubbs is on the IR and Kareem Hunt will lead the ground assault. Look for the Browns to give Hunt the ball and pounce on Cincinnati’s soft run defense.

Joe Burrow leads the league in pass attempts after six weeks but unfortunately for the Bengals, he has only six touchdowns to show and has been sacked more times than any quarterback in the league except Carson Wentz. It’s tough to ask so much from this year’s top rookie pick if he plays with an offense that can’t block and a defense that can’t stop the run. The Bengals have allowed the third-most rushing yards this season with opposing running backs averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

The Browns are without Chubbs but they still have enough on the ground to take advantage of Cincinnati’s poor run defense. The Browns aren’t exactly the best defensive team but they should be able to get to Burrow and force him to throw bad passes. Cincinnati is 2-22-1 in their last 25 games as the betting underdog. I don’t like the spot they are in even if they are playing at home. Give me the Browns to bounce back with a win here.

Prediction: Cleveland Browns

Other Bets to Make

The Browns are 3-6 ATS in their last nine games played. Cleveland is 1-8 ATS in their last nine games played on the road, and 1-5 ATS in their last six games played against the AFC. The Bengals are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. Cincinnati is 1-0-1 ATS in two home games played this season and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 October games. Head to head, the Bengals are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Browns.

Cincinnati only has one win in its last six games but five out of those games were close. They have covered the spread in four out of their last five games overall and their last four games after losing their previous game straight up. Cleveland is one of the worst passing teams in the NFL and without a good air attack, games have a tendency to be close. I’m looking at a game decided by a field goal here but I don’t trust Cincinnati’s run defense much. You can go with Cincinnati but I like the Browns to win this game by five points.

Prediction: Browns -3.5

The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Browns. The under is 2-1 in their three road games played this season. The total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Bengals. The over is 7-2 in Cincinnati’s last nine games played against the NFC, and the over is also 4-2 in their last six games against the NFC North. Head to head, the total has gone over in five out of the last six games between these two teams.

These teams combined to score 65 points in their first meeting, which easily toppled the total of 47 set for that contest. But I don’t expect a repeat of that here. Mayfield has been turnover-prone in his NFL career while we’ve seen Burrow take a lot of drive-ending sacks through his first six NFL games. The Browns run the ball more than any team in the league. I like these teams to stay under the total in a low-scoring game.

Prediction: Under 50

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