Johnny Football is back and he helped the Browns end a seven-game losing streak last week with a win over the hapless 49ers. The challenge of getting consecutive wins for the first time in over a year is a bit stiffer against the Seahawks, who are 4-0 SU and ATS in their last four with a defense as dominating as their quarterback.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Seattle Seahawks -14
Cleveland Browns +14
Over/Under 42.5
ODDS ANALYSIS
The largest opening spread grew even bigger when the line was wagered to Seattle -14.5. It’s hard to argue with such a big spread given the Seahawks won their last two games by a combined 73-13 and didn’t allow an offensive touchdown. Seattle is 4-0 ATS in its last four with two games as double-digit favorites. They are 3-1 ATS in their four games when favored by 10 or more points.
KEY INJURIES
Brian Hartline – Left last week’s game in the third quarter with a broken collarbone and is done for the season. The Browns started the game without Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel, two of their other top four receivers. Terrelle Pryor, who was active against the Niners for the first time, could see an increased role.
Thomas Rawls – The Seahawks’ running back suffered a broken ankle with ligament damage on a carry late in the first quarter of Sunday’s win at Baltimore. He had been stellar in relief of Marshawn Lynch and was on pace to rush for 1,000 yards. DuJuan Harris and Fred Jackson will fill in until Lynch returns. The club also signed Bryce Brown to provide depth at the position.
KEY MISMATCH
The chances of Russell Wilson supplanting Cam Newton as the MVP front-runner are slim, but no one in the NFL is playing at a higher level than the Seahawks quarterback over the past four weeks. Wilson threw for 292 yards and five touchdowns against the Ravens, with three more scoring passes to Doug Baldwin and two to Tyler Lockett. Over the past four games, Wilson has completed 89 of 118 passes – a startling 75 completion percentage – for 1,171 yards with 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions. His passer rating over that span is an amazing 145.9. He’s the first Seattle quarterback to have four straight games with at least three touchdown passes. Only Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers have also had such runs. Wilson has taken another step in his progression and is playing the position with remarkable poise, accuracy and decision-making. He has never been better in four seasons in the league. The Browns shut down the offensively-challenged Niners last week, but overall haven’t been good in pass defense. They allow 8.1 yards per attempt and 254 yards per game while surrendering 26 touchdown passes, all rank in the bottom third of the NFL.
KEY STAT
-7 – Cleveland’s turnover margin. The Browns have turned the ball over 24 times, including a NFL-high 16 fumbles lost. Seattle is seventh in the league with a plus-5 turnover differential.
BETTING ANGLE
The Browns hope to build off their 24-10 victory over the 49ers but will face a much stiffer challenge in the Seahawks. Back in the lineup, Johnny Manziel led the Brownies and has been the starting quarterback in two of the team’s three victories this season. All three wins have come against staggering teams. The Browns beat Tennessee, Baltimore and now San Francisco. The three are a combined 11-28 this season. Ending a seven-game losing streak doesn’t stop the questions about whether general manager Ray Farmer and/or coach Mike Pettine will be fired. But at least for a few days Browns fans have a reason to be happy. Pettine said his plan going forward is to have Manziel start the remaining games.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Seahawks are the hottest team in the NFL and they’re strong defensive play over the past two games has been overshadowed by what Wilson has been able to accomplish. The run game took a big hit when Rawls was lost for the year with a busted ankle and there’s no denying his effectiveness helped the offense. With home games against Cleveland and St. Louis upcoming, Seattle should be able to get by without a stellar run game, but the team will need to get by until Lynch is able to return. Don’t be surprised if another back like Harris or Brown is able to contribute in a big way. The Legion of Boom has been dominant as well, not allowing a touchdown in the last two games. Manziel had a nice game last week snapping Cleveland’s seven-game slide, but facing the Seahawks on the road is much different than the Niners at home. The large spread makes Cleveland a tempting pick, but Seattle is just too strong.
Seattle 34, Cleveland 13
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