Browns To Earn First Road Win In 26 Games

The Cleveland Browns are not completely out of the playoff picture as they face a test of their mettle on their road against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are unravelling fast in the AFC North.

Cleveland return from their bye week entering a must-win situation against the Bengals. Gregg Williams’ men were able to secure a victory for the first time under their interim head coach.

Baker Mayfield flashed his promise as he threw three touchdowns in a dismantling of the Atlanta Falcons. The 23-year-old has delivered on expectations after being selected first overall in the 2018 Draft and there is the opportunity for him to further enhance his reputation against Cincinnati.

There will be an element of a grudge match for Hue Jackson on the Bengals’ staff. Up until three weeks ago, he was the head coach of the Browns, only to be fired after their defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He linked up with another one of his former teams and will be desperate to get one over on his ex-employers.

Cincinnati are vulnerable in the NFC North, having lost four out of their last five matches. Marvin Lewis’ men had made a decent start to the term, boasting a 4-1 record, but they’re in huge danger of wasting their platform to miss out on the post-season. Cleveland have not won on the road in 25 matches and may not have a better opportunity to end their drought.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have fallen apart since their bright start to the season, dropping to 5-5 in their campaign. Cincinnati had the opportunity to take command of the AFC North in a match against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week six, but spurned their chance and are now in a battle to earn a playoff place.

The club’s defense has been their downfall, allowing points to drive down the field with relative ease on a weekly basis. The Baltimore Ravens were able to secure a comfortable win last week even without their starting quarterback and running back, highlighting the Bengals’ issues. Injuries have cut into their defense, especially in the linebacking corps. Preston Brown and Carl Lawson has been lost for the season, while Nick Vigil and Jordan Evans has been dealing with knocks.

The defensive line has not been stout enough to hold the run at the point of the attack, allowing teams to rush through the unit. As a result, Cincinnati have not been able to control their matches, heaping pressure on Andy Dalton and the offense.

Dalton and his team-mates did seem to coping earlier in the season, but AJ Green has been suffering with injury issues. Without Green and Tyler Eifert there have not been many options for the Bengals to turn to put huge numbers of points on the board. The presence of Jackson could give them a few hints on how to stop the Browns, although Mayfield’s form against a struggling defense will give Cincinnati cause for concern.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns made a statement with their win over the Falcons. Mayfield impressed with a three-touchdown performance, suggesting that the future looks bright indeed for the club with him operating at the quarterback position. The 23-year-old has looked composed throughout the season even when his offense has been held in check. His confidence has not dipped and he finally delivered the display that he has been threatening since the start of the season, cutting through the Falcons’ defense to guide his team to a comfortable win.

Nick Chubb also produced another encouraging display at running back, notching a 92-yard touchdown – the longest running score in the history of the franchise. Between Mayfield, Chubb along with Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway and David Njoku, Cleveland have the basis of a talented offense with plenty of room for improvement. They will need to maintain their form as the club aim to secure back-to-back wins for the first time since 2014, and their first victory on the road in 26 games.

Williams’ defense played their part in the win, holding down Matt Ryan and Atlanta to only 12 points. Cleveland’s defense has been inconsistent this term, but they do have talent in place to trouble their opponents.

Myles Garrett has been outstanding and is developing into one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. Garrett has nine sacks on the season, ranking him tied-ninth overall. The Browns have another emerging star in the secondary as rookie Denzel Ward has proved capable of matching up against the best wideouts in the league. Between Garrett and Ward, there is enough talent to defeat the Bengals.

Head to Head

Games Played: 89 Cincinnati Bengals: 50 Cleveland Browns: 39

The Bengals have edged the matchup between the two teams since their arrival in the league in 1970. Former Cleveland coach Paul Brown was the architect behind the franchise and he took great delight in defeating his old team and owner Art Modell before the Browns were moved to Baltimore. Since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999, the Bengals have dominated their rivalry. Cincinnati have won the last seven matches on the bounce, including their 30-16 triumph at Paul Brown Stadium last term when Tyler Boyd, Tyler Kroft and Joe Mixon found the endzone.

Betting Options

The tempting option is to be on a Browns’ win to end their losing run against their rivals. Cleveland have decent odds at 2.35Bet €100 to win €23527/20Bet £100 to win £235+135Bet $100 to win $2351.35Bet HK$100 to win HK$2351.35Bet Rp100 to win Rp235-0.7407Bet RM100 to win RM235  with TopBet to claim the victory and secure their second victory on the bounce to get them back into the playoff race.

Mayfield proved his worth last time out so back him to get the job done once more and for the first time on the road. Also take Cleveland on the +3 spread at odds of 1.95Bet €100 to win €19519/20Bet £100 to win £195-105Bet $100 to win $1950.95Bet HK$100 to win HK$195-1.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp1950.9500Bet RM100 to win RM195  with TopBet, covering the prospect of a close defeat at Paul Brown Stadium. The over/under line for total points has been set at 46.5 points. Back the over due to the deficiencies of the Bengals’ defense and their need for points at 1.95Bet €100 to win €19519/20Bet £100 to win £195-105Bet $100 to win $1950.95Bet HK$100 to win HK$195-1.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp1950.9500Bet RM100 to win RM195  at BetOnline.

Tips Summary

Cleveland Browns To Beat Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday 25^th November 2018 13:00 ET (18:00 GMT)
Odds: 2.35Bet €100 to win €23527/20Bet £100 to win £235+135Bet $100 to win $2351.35Bet HK$100 to win HK$2351.35Bet Rp100 to win Rp235-0.7407Bet RM100 to win RM235

Cleveland Browns +3 Spread
Sunday 25^th November 2018 13:00 ET (18:00 GMT)
Odds: 1.95Bet €100 to win €19519/20Bet £100 to win £195-105Bet $100 to win $1950.95Bet HK$100 to win HK$195-1.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp1950.9500Bet RM100 to win RM195

Over 46.5 Points To Be Scored
Sunday 25^th November 2018 13:00 ET (18:00 GMT)
Odds: 1.95Bet €100 to win €19519/20Bet £100 to win £195-105Bet $100 to win $1950.95Bet HK$100 to win HK$195-1.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp1950.9500Bet RM100 to win RM195