An AFC North battle takes place in Cleveland this weekend as the Bengals and Browns square off. The big news in this game could be the return of Nick Chubb for the Cleveland Browns. How will Chubb look after recovering from a devastating knee injury 12+ months prior? Meanwhile, the Bengals defense showed life in their Week 6 victory on Monday Night Football against the Giants only allowing seven points. Below are my Bengals at Browns Preview and Predictions.
The biggest question the Browns fans continue to ask is when the quarterback change is going to come from Watson to Winston. The Browns offense continues to struggle on DeShaun Watson’s shoulder and arm. Additionally, the Browns offense ranks dead-last in yards per play, passing yards per game, and scoring the third least amount of points per game.
On the other side, the early season concern for the Bengals has been their defense. When the Bengals saw the return of Tee Higgins, the offense looked in peak form. However, the concerns were on the defensive side. This Week 7 matchup will provide a good gauge of where both units stand for each team.
Bengals at Browns Preview and Predictions
Best Bets
The Cincinnati Bengals come into this game with a profitable record against the Cleveland Browns against the spread. Since 2018, the Bengals are 7-3-1 ATS (70.0%) however just 2-2 ATS and 2-2 SU in spots they are favored. Currently, the Bengals are a 5.5-point road favorite in this game. Are the Bengals warranted to be this type of favorite? Maybe. But I am not confident in this offense of the Browns.
It will take Nick Chubb to get his feet back under him and get back to game speed. The Browns have lost both of their two home games this season and the Bengals two wins this season have come on the road. Let’s also not forget that the #1 wide receiver in this Browns offense is no longer on this team in Amari Cooper. Cooper was traded earlier this week to the Buffalo Bills which could make things even more difficult for the Browns on offense.
Best Bet: Bengals -5.5
Player Prop Best Bet
Chase Brown Over 12.5 Rush Attempts
Thus far this season, running backs against the Browns are averaging close to 21 rush attempts per game. The Bengals are going with a two-man running back system with Zack Moss and Chase Brown. However, Moss seems to be dealing with an injury and looks to be on the decline with snap counts.
In Week 6 against the Giants, Moss played a season-low 45% of the snap counts and is struggling to create explosive runs and miss tackles. I believe Brown continues to get the majority of the snap counts and if the Bengals are playing with the lead late in the game, I expect Brown to get the rush attempts.
