Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns NFL Odds & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd on September 29, 2009

bengals browns 92909 The 2-1 Cincinnati Bengals and the 0-3 Cleveland Browns face off this Sunday at Cleveland Stadium in a Week 4 AFC North Division showdown. Last week, the Browns were dominated 34-3 by division rival Baltimore while the Bengals defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers. These teams last met in Week 16 of last season with the Bengals winning 14-0. Cincy has won seven of the last nine meetings to take a slim 36-35 lead in the all-time series. NFL odds makers have listed the Cincinnati Bengals as 5.5-point favorites with the total set at 38.

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If the Bengals look to make it four wins in their last five visits to Cleveland, they’ll have to avoid a letdown after a big win over the Steelers. When you think of Cincy, the first thing that comes to the mind of most is Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco and the passing attack. In fact, Palmer has 93 touchdown passes since 2005, which is good for fifth in the NFL during that span. But it may not be long before Cincy is synonymous with Cedric Benson and the running game. The emergence of the Bears castoff is perhaps the biggest reason for Cincy’s fast start. Benson currently ranks third in the NFL with 293 rushing yards and he has helped take the pressure off of Palmer to win every game with his arm. Benson could be poised for another big day this week as he rushed for a career-high 171 yards the last time he faced the Browns. It is also worth noting that the Browns are 1-10-1 against the spread in their last 12 games overall. If you like Cincy to keep right on rolling, bet the Bengals at -5.5 at Sportsbook.com.

So far, coach Eric Mangini hasn’t been able to work any of the magic he worked in his first season with the Jets. Last week, he decided to make the move to replace QB Brady Quinn with Derek Anderson, but the result was the same. It doesn’t appear that Anderson is the guy who’s going to get the job done, but Quinn hasn’t inspired much confidence either. Mangini’s biggest task at hand is not handling the QB situation, however, it’s making sure his team isn’t going to give up on the season already. The Browns hung in there in their first two losses, but they were completely dominated in nearly every facet of the game against the Ravens. This team must show that it is ready to compete against its in-state rivals this week.

The Browns desperately need to get wide receiver Braylon Edwards involved in the offense. He only has 10 catches through three games, but he is averaging nearly 14 yards per catch. Edwards has had good success against the Bengals with five touchdown catches in his last four games against them. He is the Browns’ best big play threat and perhaps they can get him going against the Bengals. They could also use a lift from Joshua Cribbs in the return game. Cribbs is one of the best return men in the league with seven touchdown returns in his career and he is critical in helping Cleveland win the field position battle. It is worth noting that the Bengals are 1-8 against the spread in their last nine games as a favorite of 3.5-10.0 points and the underdog is 4-0 against the spread in the last four meetings. If you think Cleveland can give the Bengals a game this week, bet the Browns at -5.5 at Sportsbook.com.

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