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Los Angeles Rams vs Cleveland Browns NFL Sports Betting Guide

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Sunday Night Football features a matchup that has only happened five times since 1999 when the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cleveland Browns. The Browns made some key acquisitions in the offseason and were a betting favorite to win the AFC North, and possibly the Super Bowl, but have yet to click as a team on the field. The Rams, on the other hand, just handled the New Orleans Saints, and with Drew Brees out for six weeks, are the clear favorite in the NFC. Both teams won by large margins in Week 2, but their play on the field was far from perfect.

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Details

  • Opening Lines: FanDuel had the odds open as Rams -1.5; O/U 48.5. There has been line movement toward the Rams, probably because of the performance by Cleveland on Monday night.
  • Current Line: Rams -3
  • O/U: 49
  • Location: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Start Time: 8:20 pm ET
  • Television: NBC
  • Last Meeting: October 25, 2015 – The Rams defeated the Cleveland Browns 24-6 during their last season in St. Louis.

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Overview

The Rams took care of business against their biggest competition in the NFC on Sunday, but we’re still no closer to knowing just how good this team is. There was yet another controversial call between Los Angeles and New Orleans when Jared Goff fumbled and the Saints returned it for a touchdown, only to discover the refs had blown the play dead. Had the play counted, as it rightfully should have, the Rams would have found themselves down 10-3 and who knows what happens from there. They also knocked Drew Brees out of the game in the first half, which meant Teddy Bridgewater played the entirety of the second. The Rams won 27-9, but the play on the field wasn’t as impressive as the final score.

The offense is still clicking, averaging 375 yards per game, 140.5 of which have come on the ground. Todd Gurley has 160 yards thus far, on just 30 carries, perhaps slightly outperforming expectations heading into the season. The defense was stout against the Saints, but without Drew Brees it’s hard to judge how much that really means. This is a unit that gave up 27 points to a Panthers’ team that scored only 14 last week against Tampa Bay.

While many would say the Rams still look like one of the NFL’s best teams, even if the first few weeks haven’t gone exactly to plan, there are few who would say the Cleveland Browns are living up to expectations. Even in their 23-3 road win on Monday Night Football, Baker Mayfield and his weapon-filled offense looked confused more often than not. Had it not been for a game-breaking 89-yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr., the Browns’ offensive stats looked pretty pedestrian for the second straight week.

What do we make of the defense? In Week 1, they gave up 43 points at home to the Tennessee Titans, then gave up 86 rushing yards to the Jets, despite knowing they were going to run on almost every play with the absence of Sam Darnold. The three points they gave up were after Trevor Siemian went down with an injury, and Luke Falk entered the game seeing his first-ever NFL regular-season action. How will the run defense, allowing 108 yards rushing per game, fair against the seventh leading rushing attack in the NFL?

Trends

  • The Rams are 4-1 ATS and 4-1 SU in their last five games against Cleveland.
  • The Browns are 1-1 ATS this season.
  • The Rams are 2-0 ATS this season.
  • The Rams are 6-1 ATS and SU in their last seven games.
  • The Browns are 6-3 ATS and SU in their last nine games.
  • The Rams are 11-2 SU in their last 13 road games.
  • The total has gone under in Cleveland’s last five games against the NFC.
  • The total has gone under in LA’s last seven games against the AFC North.
  • The Rams are 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games played in September.
  • The Browns are 4-2 ATS in their last six games played in September.

Prop Bet

Browns Under 23 (-110)
The Browns’ offense has a lot of talent, but despite the final score of the Jets game looked lost a lot offensively. The Jets’ offense was so bad that they kept giving the ball back to Cleveland, which gave them numerous opportunities to score points. If it wasn’t for an 89-yard catch and run, the Browns don’t surpass 20 points. Baker Mayfield looked really confused on Monday night and didn’t look particularly comfortable in Week 1 against Tennessee, either. I expect the offense to turn it around at some point, but the Rams’ defense is solid, and they could make his life very difficult this week.

Bottom Line

The Browns aren’t living up to expectations. The offense should be better, but the fact is, they’re not. The Rams haven’t looked nearly as good as they did at the start of the 2018 season, but they are still one of the best teams in the NFL and the class of the NFC. The Browns have all the talent in the world on paper, but until I see it all come together on the field I have a hard time buying into them. The Rams’ defense is going to cause a lot of problems for Baker Mayfield, who struggled mightily in Week 2 when forced to read the Jets’ defense and the strange looks Gregg Williams threw his way.

Pick: Rams -3 (-110)

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Philip Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Philip, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.