Browns vs. Ravens NFL Picks & Player Prop Bets (Week 8)

Introducing the Week 8 edition of the BettingPros primer, brought to you by Bettingpros.com! I'm Andrew Erickson, and I'm here to guide you through each game on the NFL slate, offering insights and recommendations on sides, totals, and player props that you can quickly turn into a big single-game parlay.

Whether you're a seasoned bettor or just dipping your toes into the world of NFL wagering, this primer is designed to provide you with valuable perspectives and picks for the upcoming NFL week of action.

Get ready to tackle the NFL season with a betting lens as we break down the Week 8 matchups and identify our favorite bets and picks. Here are my top picks for the game between the Browns vs. Ravens.

Check out the rest of Andrew Erickson’s Week 8 Betting Primer>>

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns

Sides:

• The Browns have failed to cover the spread in eight of their last nine games.
• The Browns have lost eight of their last nine games.
• The Browns have won eight of their last 12 games as favorites and 9-5 as a favorite.
• The Browns are 6-9-1 ATS in their last 15 road appearances as underdogs and 4-2 as home underdogs.
• The Browns have covered the spread in six of their last nine home games.
• Cleveland is 8-4 on the ML at home.
• The Ravens have covered the spread in four of their last five games.
• Baltimore is 13-5 on the money line as home favorites. But just 8-11 ATS as home favorites.
• Baltimore is 14-5 ATS on the road in the last two seasons and 10-4 ATS as a road favorite in their last 14 applicable appearances.

Totals:

• Six of the Browns' last 11 games have gone OVER the total points line.
• Nine of the Browns' last 15 games have gone OVER the total points line.
• Eleven of the Browns' last 14 road games have gone OVER the total points line.
• The Browns are 13-11-1 toward the over in their last 25 games.
• Cleveland has finished under their team total in every game this season.
• The Browns are 1-2 toward the over at home (40.3 points per game).
• Since the start of 2023, the Browns are 9-3 toward the under at home.
• Most of the 2023 Ravens games that went over came at home (seven of their last 10), but they tended to be against better offenses.
• The Ravens are 6-1 toward the over this season.
• Six of the Ravens’ last seven games have gone OVER the total points line.
• The lowest total game they've played in this season has been 45 points.
• The Ravens have gone OVER in nine of the last 12 games (nine of the previous 14).
• Each of the Ravens' last five road games has gone OVER the total points line.

Overall:

After a rocky start, the Ravens have looked like an absolute powerhouse. But this team has shown, at times, to play down to its competition (see Raiders in Week 2). Considering the matchup against the Cleveland Browns on a short week, this seems like a major letdown spot for the Ravens. Jameis Winston will be making his first start of the season, which could give this Browns’ offense a major (and much-needed) boost.

Winston is one of the league's best backup QBs. He's 5-4 straight up with a 3-6 record versus the spread in his last nine full games. Against a 10-point spread, Winston would be 7-2 ATS in his last nine starts.

The series was split 1-1 in these two matchups last season. Baltimore lost at home against the Browns despite being 6.5-point favorites. They beat the Browns in Cleveland 28-3 in Dorian Thompson-Robinson's first start.

With Winston playing inspired football behind a defense that plays much better at home than on the road, I like taking the Brownies as near double-digit home underdogs. Cleveland's defense has shown up in back-to-back weeks against the Eagles/Bengals, so I think they can slow down Baltimore enough to keep this within single digits.

Props:

Ken Dorsey is taking over playcalling duties for the Browns. During his tenure with Buffalo last season, he dialed up one of the most aggressive pass offenses in the NFL.

My Picks:

• Browns +9.5
• Jameis Winston OVER 35.5 pass attempts