The New England Patriots will travel to take on the Cleveland Browns in a Sunday afternoon NFL matchup at FirstEnergy Stadium. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NFL odds series, which includes a Patriots-Browns prediction and pick, laid out below.
New England has played to an uncharacteristic 2-3 record this season, still experiencing some growing pains with a young quarterback. Gone are the days of Brady and Belichick, but the infrastructure that made those teams so good is still in place.
Cleveland spent all offseason mired in controversy and has now opened the season 2-3 without their big acquisition at quarterback. Kevin Stefanski has enjoyed more success than most in recent memory with Cleveland, and without his “planned” starter at quarterback, he faces an uphill climb to the playoffs this season.
Here are the Patriots-Browns NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Patriots-Browns Odds
New England Patriots: +2.5 (-110)
Cleveland Browns: -2.5 (-110)
Over: 43.5 (-106)
Under: 43.5 (-114)
Why The Patriots Could Cover The Spread
Mac Jones may or may not play for the first time since week three. Jones suffered an ankle sprain that has kept him limited in practice, and forced New England to start both Brian Hoyer and Bailey Zappe in the subsequent games. Zappe was solid in his start, going 17-21 for 188 yards with a touchdown in a 29-0 victory over Detroit. Jones, in three games, has thrown for 786 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions. Jones has added a rushing touchdown.
Rhamondre Stevenson leads the team with 372 rushing yards, adding a touchdown, while Damien Harris is second with 257 rushing yards and leads the team with three rushing touchdowns. Jakobi Meyers is the team's leading receiver with 20 catches for 261 yards and a touchdown. Nelson Agholor is second with 14 catches for 225 yards and a touchdown. New England has averaged 20.6 points per game, 19th in the league.
New England's defense has been solid, allowing 19.6 points per game, which ranks 12th in the league. Ja'Whaun Bentley leads the team with 31 tackles, including a sack. New England has sacked their opponents thirteen times this season, with Matt Judon registering six and Deatrich Wise, Jr. sacking opponents four times. Jack Jones leads the team with two interceptions, while Jonathan Jones and Jalen Mills each have intercepted one pass.
Why The Browns Could Cover The Spread
Jacoby Brissett was not the planned starter when the team acquired DeShaun Watson, but Watson was suspended by the league (for too short). Brissett has probably played himself into another contract, completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,060 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. Brissett has also rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown. The rushing attack is the story of the Cleveland offense. Nick Chubb leads the team with 593 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Kareem Hunt is the second part of the two-headed monster, ranking second with 247 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Amari Cooper leads the team with 27 catches for 304 yards and three touchdowns. David Njoku is second with 24 catches for 289 yards and a touchdown. Hunt has hauled in the team's other touchdown catch. Cleveland ranks sixth in the league with an average of 26.6 points per game.
Cleveland's defense has struggled, allowing 25 points per game, which ranks 24th in the league. Grant Delpit leads the team with 30 tackles, breaking up three passes and intercepting one pass. Still limited in practice after a scary car crash, Myles Garrett leads the team with three sacks, while the team has totaled nine. Denzel Ward has intercepted the team's only other pass.
Final Patriots-Browns Prediction & Pick
There should be a lot of points considering the struggles of the Cleveland defense.
Final Patriots-Browns Prediction & Pick: New England +2.5 (-110), over 43.5 (-106)
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