Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos Odds & Game Pick

The Denver Broncos won’t have quarterback Joe Flacco under center when they host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon. The Broncos announced their starter will sit with a neck injury this week, which seems like odd timing as Flacco finished last week’s game but then promptly ripped the team’s conservative play calling right after. The good news for Denver is that the Cleveland Browns are experiencing similar in-house turmoil with Baker Mayfield barking at the media and head coach Freddie Kitchens feeling the heat as the team has lost three in a row. Who is the best bet in this Sunday afternoon showdown?

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Details

• Opening Line: Browns -3 at PointsBet
• Current Line: Browns -1
• Over/Under: 39
• Location: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
• Start Time: 4:25 PM ET
• Last Meeting: Browns 17 vs. Broncos 16 (12/15/18)

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Overview

There isn’t much that has gone right for Cleveland so far this season. Frustrations finally started to boil over following a 2-5 start when second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield walked out of a media scrum when he was pushed on an issue by a reporter on Wednesday. Mayfield has every right to be frustrated. He has struggled by his own standards (six touchdowns, 12 interceptions) and he really hasn’t gotten much help on and off the field this season. However, the Browns could be on the verge of turning their season around if they can continue to grind away and stick together. Remember that Cleveland has faced one of the toughest schedules in the league so far this season. It will get a lot easier from here on out with only two games against opponents with winning records the rest of the way. The Browns need to capitalize on this week’s matchup versus Brandon Allen and the Broncos. It’s essentially a must-win game for a desperate team looking to salvage their season.

As for Denver, they’re also in desperation mode heading into Week 9. The problem for the Broncos is that they don’t have the talent to rebound following a 2-6 start to the season. Allen is a 2016 sixth-round pick getting his first opportunity to start in the NFL. There’s a reason he’s never thrown a pass in a regular-season game. The Broncos have averaged just 15.6 points per game this season, and while Flacco took much of the criticism, the reality is he’s been a huge upgrade over what they had in previous years (Case Keenum, Paxton Lynch). The Broncos have lost a lot of heartbreakers, and they could have a winning record had they caught some breaks.

The Broncos’ defense has played well, holding opponents to just 18.9 points per game. However, they’re going to be asked to do a lot with Allen under center. On one hand, the Broncos might think that things can’t get worse than Flacco. They’ve forgotten how things were last year with other scrubs throwing the ball. If Allen can’t move the chains and allow the defense to stay fresh, this game could turn into a blowout.

• Trends
• Broncos have won five straight as the hosts in this series
• Broncos are 10-22 ATS in their last 32 on a grass field
• Broncos are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 against teams with a losing record
• Browns are 2-5 ATS in their last seven as a favorite

Bottom Line

This is the game where the Browns start to turn it around. Allen is going to be both sloppy with the ball, and he’ll fail on third downs frequently. While the Browns will face some resistance early on, they’ll start to connect on big plays in the second half when the Broncos’ defense wears down.

Cleveland has lost three in a row entering this game, but those three teams are a combined 22-2. Facing the 2-6 Broncos will produce a very different result.

Prediction: Cleveland 27, Denver 10

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Check out our other NFL Sports Betting Guides for Week 9

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (+1.5)
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles (-4)
Washington Redskins at Buffalo Bills (-10.5)
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (+3.5)
Tennessee Titans at Carolina Panthers (-3.5)
Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers (+1)
Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs (+2.5)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks (-5.5)
Detroit Lions at Oakland Raiders (-2.5)
Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Chargers (+3.5)
New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens (+3)
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (+7)

Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.