With six weeks left to play in the 2015 season, aren't a lot of teams which really have no chance whatsoever of getting into the playoffs. Just because two of those teams will be on display on Monday Night Football this week, that doesn't mean there won't be some fantastic betting opportunities for the duel between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Baltimore Ravens PK
Cleveland Browns PK
Over/Under 41.5
ODDS ANALYSIS
Quarterback changes mean the world in NFL betting, and the fact that both of these teams have had changes of course from what they were scheduled to have as of last Sunday morning has really messed with this line. Baltimore lost Joe Flacco to a torn ACL last week, while Johnny Manziel, named the starter for the rest of the year just a few short days ago, will be benched in favor of Josh McCown after a video surfaced of him whooping it up in Texas on his bye last week.
Needless to say, there's been a lot of line movement here in this game. The Browns opened up at a pick 'em and moved to -2.5 as of Wednesday night. It’s not a massive line move, but it's definitely a move which suggests bettors have more confidence in McCown than they do in Johnny Football.
WHEN THE BALTIMORE RAVENS HAVE THE BALL
Matt Schaub is a real wild card here, and we wouldn't be surprised if he didn't ultimately make it through this game. Schaub is a statue in the pocket, and he's going to be standing behind an offensive line which got Flacco killed. His running back is now Buck Allen, a man who is just a rookie and has struggled in pass protection all year. Furthermore, Schaub hasn't thrown a meaningful pass in basically two years, and why he's still in the NFL is beyond us.
Jimmy Clausen at least would have a shot to represent the future in Baltimore, and in a season that is rather lost, if Schaub struggles, Clausen could be called upon to step into the fray in a hurry.
Regardless, this matchup is a tough one for the Browns, too. The Ravens love to dial up deep shots down the field, and Cleveland has had no answer to those. Live bettors should keep an eye on Donte Whitner and Joe Haden. Both men have been out of the lineup these last couple weeks with various injuries, but both are back at practice and could play on Monday.
Baltimore really doesn't have any receivers designed to stretch the field any longer now that Steve Smith is out for the season as well. If Kamar Aiken or Chris Givens can get loose in the back end, Baltimore's live bettors might finally have something to be thankful for in a season where all else has been lost.
WHEN THE CLEVELAND BROWNS HAVE THE BALL
McCown had the best day of his career throwing the ball against these Ravens earlier in the year, as he threw for over 450 yards and led the team on a huge comeback, only to lose in overtime at M&T Bank Stadium.
Still, clearly, McCown isn't the answer at quarterback for this team beyond 2015, and Mike Pettine has to really be fed up with Manziel to basically kick him off of the active roster at this point. His job is certainly at risk, and McCown isn't going to do anything to save him from the inevitable axe coming soon.
Live bettors have to know that the NFL game is going to trudge along if McCown can't hook up with his receivers. The Browns have had a history of simply abandoning the running game entirely. Travis Benjamin and Gary Barnidge could be in for good games as a result, as could Duke Johnson out of the backfield.
We'll have to see if Cleveland has found any semblance of a running game during its bye week, but with an offensive line which has basically three stiffs alongside Alex Mack and Joe Thomas, that's highly doubtful.
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