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Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans NFL Betting & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

Tennessee came through with a victory in its final regular season game of 2007 to get into the playoffs. This year, the 11-1 Titans won’t have to sweat it out. Tennessee can clinch the AFC South title on Sunday when it hosts a Cleveland team it beat out for the AFC’s final wild card spot a year ago. The win would give the Titans its first division title since 2002. Odds makers feel Tennessee will have no trouble clinching and have listed the Titans as 14-point favorites with the total set at 37.

Heading into Week 17 of the 2007 season, the Browns and the Titans both shared 9-6 records. Cleveland beat the 49ers early on December 30th to put the pressure on the Titans. Tennessee beat the Colts later that evening to claim the AFC’s final postseason spot, keeping the Browns from its first postseason berth in five years. Perhaps, if the Browns had gone to the playoffs, we would see them having the kind of season Tennessee is. The Titans have used last season’s playoff appearance as a springboard in becoming the most dominant team in the AFC this season. At 11-1, the Titans can end Indianapolis’ five-year stranglehold on the AFC South with one win or one Colts’ loss.

Tennessee had only three days to bounce back from its first loss of the season, a 34-13 setback to the New York Jets on November 23, but the short week didn’t prove to be a hurdle. The Titans turned in perhaps their most complete effort of the season on Thanksgiving in Detroit, outgaining the Lions by more than 300 yards in a 47-10 rout. I didn’t think Detroit could possibly be embarrassed any more this season at that point, but they were. Tennessee knew it had to get its ground game going again if it wanted to be effective and that’s exactly what it did. After Tennessee ran for just 45 yards against the Jets, Chris Johnson and LenDale White each topped the century mark, part of a 292-yard rushing day against an overmatched Detroit defense. If you like Tennessee to continue its dominance, bet the Titans at -14 at Bookmaker.

NFL betting on the Cleveland Browns has not been nearly as lucrative as it was a season ago. The Browns are only 4-8 and face a very tall task this week. While the Browns’ run defense has been poor this season, ranking 28th in the league through the season’s first 10 games, it cannot be blamed for either of its last two losses. Those defeats fall of the offense which have not been able to muster a since touchdown. The defense held Houston to only three points after halftime in a 16-6 loss on November 23 and then held Peyton Manning and the Colts to only 215 yards and kept them out of the end zone. QB Derek Anderson’s fourth-quarter fumble was returned for a touchdown to give the Colts the 10-6 win. While I don’t expect this Browns team to fold, it will be going to battle with its third-string QB this week. Just days after finding out Brady Quinn needed surgery to repair tendon damage in his right index finger, Anderson tore the MCL in his left knee late in the fourth quarter. That means former Miami standout Ken Dorsey will get the nod. Dorsey has not started since November 27, 2005.

Beating the NFL odds will likely fall on the defense again. Cleveland’s defense has intercepted 17 passes, tied with Tennessee for third-most in the NFL. The Browns have picked off seven passes in their last three games. They will also have history on their side, having won their last two trips to Nashville and three in a row in this series. If you think Cleveland can keep this one within the number, bet the Browns at +14 at Bookmaker.

Try Jimmy Boyd’s NFL picks on for size this week and watch you bankroll grow!

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