The Browns got a jolt of confidence with last week’s stirring overtime win over Baltimore and look to carry the momentum from that game into Sunday’s showdown with the unbeaten Broncos. For the second time this season Denver won a game without scoring an offensive touchdown, knocking off Oakland last week. As a result of their sluggish offense, the under is 4-1.
ODDS
Denver opened as a 6-point favorite with the total at 42.5. Three of Denver’s five games were decided by six or fewer points and the line was quickly wagered down to its current -4.5. Given the current makeup of both clubs, the total carries some value.
KEY INJURIES
Aqib Talib – Rolled an ankle last week in Oakland and with a Week 7 bye, the Broncos might give him two full weeks to recover. Kayvon Webster is a likely candidate at the corner spot and might be a better matchup against Cleveland’s small, shifty receivers.
DeMarcus Ware – Has not practiced this week and in all likelihood will not play on Sunday. He left last week’s game with Oakland because of back spasms. Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett shared Ware’s spot in the second half and each recorded a sack against the Raiders.
Joe Haden – The Browns are planning to play Sunday without their Pro Bowl cornerback, who is currently in the league’s concussion protocol. He sustained the injury during last week’s game in Baltimore and has yet to practice this week. Pierre Desir will move into Haden’s corner spot.
KEY MISMATCH
Josh McCown threw for a Browns regular season game record 457 yards hitting on 36 of 51 passes with two touchdowns last week. He made plays and didn’t turn the ball over in Cleveland’s 33-30 overtime win. And he did it against a Baltimore defense that Peyton Manning failed to score a touchdown on in Week 1. McCown is in a zone right now, throwing for better than 300 yards in three straight games – the first Browns quarterback to ever do that. Where McCown really shines, however, is on third down. He leads the NFL with a 123.2 quarterback rating on the money down. Coach Mike Pettine named him the starter in the preseason and stuck by the 36-year-old even when Johnny Manziel led the team to its first win of the season while McCown was recovering from a concussion. McCown and the Browns No. 8 ranked offense will go against Denver’s No. 1 ranked total defense that could be minus two top performers in Ware and Talib.
KEY STAT
22.0 – Denver’s NFL leading quarterback sack total. Cleveland has allowed 18 sacks, the third-highest total in the league, and McCown was limping around on a bum ankle this week.
BETTING ANGLE
Cleveland showed plenty of character in last week’s rally to upend the Ravens in overtime and the Browns are looking forward to a date with the undefeated Broncos. While the Browns haven’t had much success when playing Denver over the years, dating all the way back to their AFC Championship Game losses in the 1980s, they seem to have some new confidence following back-to-back overtime games. Both of those took place on the road and resulted in covers, even though they lost the previous one to San Diego, 30-27, as five-point underdogs. The line on this matchup with Denver is also telling, as the road team would definitely be favored by a lot more if oddsmakers thought it was clearly a lot better. The Browns are a hard team to decipher this season, with glimpses of what could be a competent club. One thing has been reliable, the over his cashed in all five of their games.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Coming off three consecutive 300-yard passing games, including a team record 457 last week, McCown and the Browns are riding high. What do we make of the Broncos? They are undefeated but they haven’t dominated anyone. Manning is showing his age with numbers that aren’t close to his career portfolio and they are winning largely because of their opportunistic defense and some good luck along the way. No team owns the Browns more than the Broncos. Denver is 22-5 all-time against Cleveland and has won 10 straight. The Broncos ownage includes The Drive and Fumble wins in the 1987 and 1988 AFC title games. It’s more than past time for payback in Cleveland.
Cleveland 24, Denver 22
The NFL odds for this Sunday contest were first released by BookMaker and the Broncos were positioned as 6-point favorites with a total of 42.5. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time odds and player props during the game. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns will start at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 18, 2015, at FirstEnergy Stadium. The matchup will be televised live on CBS.
