Week 18, the final one of the NFL’s regular season is here and it all starts on Saturday afternoon. The Browns travel to Baltimore, Maryland to meet up with the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on both ABC and ESPN. Let’s dive in and take a look at this Browns-Ravens preview and predictions.
The Cleveland Browns enter the final week of the season as one of the teams with a shot at the #1 overall pick. At 3-13, their season hasn’t gone the way they’d hoped. Their injury report is littered with players (17 of them) in Week 18. Denzel Ward and Myles Garrett both seem to be trying to make themselves available to play. Kevin Stefanski hasn’t announced who will start at quarterback yet, but it will either be Dorian Thompson-Robinson or Bailey Zappe under center for the team.
For the Ravens who come into the game 11-5, the goal is simple. Win this game, and you are the AFC North champions. Tie or lose, and you’ll need some help from the Steelers on Sunday to claim the divisional title. The Ravens injury report isn’t nearly as lengthy as the Browns, with Justice Hill and Patrick Mekari the only two players who didn’t participate in practice on Wednesday.
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens Preview and Predictions Video
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens Preview and Predictions
Derrick Henry Over 88.5 Rushing Yards (-120)
Week 18 is one of the harder weeks to bet on player props. Not knowing who may or how much they play can be tricky. Luckily, in this case, the Ravens need to win. They play before the Steelers so they won’t have anything locked up. That means they are going to need Henry to do his thing. Justice Hill still isn’t practicing from his concussion so they likely won’t have him to fall back on. On top of that the Browns are beat up and we all know how Henry can break big runs.
Derrick Henry has gone over this rushing total in eight games this season, eclipsing 100 yards in all eight games. In their first meeting in a Week 8 loss to the Browns, Henry was held to just 73 yards on the ground. But this is a different story in Week 18. King Henry and his crown are about to carry the Ravens to a division title.
Baltimore Ravens -16.5 (-115)
Laying a number like 16.5 is always a tall ask in the NFL. Add on being a division game, and an AFC North division game, and it’s almost unheard of. But if you’re there’s a time to lay the points, it’s this week. The Ravens already lost to this team and are looking for sweet revenge for that. The Browns have lost four games in a row by 13 points or more and lost five times this season by 17 or more.
Baltimore has won three in a row and four of their last five to put themselves into this position and have blown out multiple playoff teams by more than 25 points. The Ravens will have their foot on the gas from the first whistle to the last, and I don’t expect it to be close at all.
