It’s an AFC North rivalry that takes centre stage on Monday Night Football in week 8, as the Cincinnati Bengals (4-3) head north along Interstate 71 to take on the Cleveland Browns (2-5). This has been a one-sided rivalry in recent times, with the Browns winning 7 of the last 8, including going 2-0 last season. Both teams need the win, with the Browns desperately trying to stay in contention before the return of Deshaun Watson in week 13, whilst the Bengals need a win to stay level-pegging with the Ravens for top spot in the Division.
Speaking of the Ravens, they managed to defeat the Buccaneers in Tampa on Thursday Night Football, giving us yet another primetime winner. We now sit at 11-1-7 (+6.03u) for the season.
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns Preview & Betting Tips
FirstEnergy Stadium, Tuesday 11:15am AEDT
Last Week
The Bengals hosted the Falcons last week, and put on an absolute clinic. Joe Burrow threw for 481 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, whilst the Bengals wide receiver triumvirate of Ja’Marr Chase (130,2), Tyler Boyd (155,1) and Tee Higgins (93,0) torched the Falcons secondary. The Bengals allowed a 75-yard touchdown on the final play of the first half, however aside from that their defence continued looking solid. A big win, and you get the sense that something is building in Cincinnati.
As for the Browns, they fell to their 4th straight loss, after a tough 23-20 loss to the Ravens. A glance at the box score shows a win that went begging for the Browns, as they gained more total yards than the Ravens (336-254), had more yards per play (6-4) and more yards per pass (8.3-5.9), yet somehow couldn’t finish them off. There are positives, with Lamar Jackson limited to 120 yards passing, however they face a far more potent passing offense this week in the Bengals.
Injury Report
Cincinnati Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase (WR) – OUT
DJ Reader / Josh Tupou (DT) – OUT
Brandon Wilson (DB) – OUT
Isaiah Prince (OT) – OUT
Drew Sample (TE) – OUT
Ben Brown (C) – OUT
Elijah Holyfield (RB) – OUT
Cleveland Browns
Wyatt Teller (OG) – OUT
Denzel Ward (CB) – OUT
Joe Haeg (OT) – OUT
Greg Newsome II / Greedy Williams (CB) – QUESTIONABLE
David Njoku / Jesse James (TE) – OUT
Anthony Walker / Jacob Phillips (LB) – OUT
Chase Winovich / Chris Odom (DE) – OUT
Isaiah Weston / Jakeem Grant (WR) – OUT
Match Preview
The lookahead line for this matchup had the Bengals as 2.5-point favourites, before opening as strong 3-point favourites. Early money pushed this out to 3.5/4, however some massive injury news shook up this market, and potentially the Bengals’ season. Ja’Marr Chase was ruled out, with initial reports indicating he will miss 4-6 weeks with a hip injury.
Of course, this news has influenced the market, with the Browns getting bet down to 2.5-point underdogs, however the number has bumped up to 3 and appears as though it will hover around the 3/3.5-point line. I loved the look ahead of Bengals -2.5 and took that, however with that number long gone and the news on Chase coming after the bet, my thoughts have changed.
With Chase missing, the loss of Denzel Ward isn’t as disastrous, however if both Newsome and Williams are also out, the Bengals still should have too much with Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins. They will need to rely more heavily on Joe Mixon getting things done on the ground, however there will surely be some level of regression without their number 1 receiver.
A home dog on Monday Night Football is always a bet worth considering, and with the loss of Chase added to the fact I can still get the key number of 3 and the hook with the Browns, I’ll take it. I also like the Browns to get off to a fast start and win the first half.
Alternate Bet: Cleveland Browns (1st Half ML) - $2.50 @ Unibet (1u)
Cleveland Browns (+3.5)
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
