The Dolphins have the more talented roster and get this game at home, so there’s little question they will be the favorites. Cleveland had a 20-2 lead against the Ravens early in Week 2 and then gave it all away in a 25-20 loss. It was a tough way to fall and it will be interesting to see if the Browns can bounce back.
Watch this regular season Week 3 matchup live on Sunday, September 25, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
Odds Analysis
The Browns will likely be underdogs no matter what, but the line won’t settle until their quarterback situation is cleared up. Robert Griffin III is already out for sure, but backup Josh McCown hurt his arm against the Ravens and it’s unclear if he will play.
If McCown is out, the Browns will turn to rookie Cody Kessler, and the Dolphins will become bigger favorites. The presence of Kessler would likely drop the scoring total a few points as the Cleveland offense could struggle in the showdown.
Injury Report
McCown -- McCown was beaten up by the Ravens’ defense, but continued to come back. He finished the game 20-of-33 for 260 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. McCown is a stable veteran signal-caller but not a star, although he’s a much better option than Kessler at this point.
Arian Foster -- The Dolphins running back suffered a groin injury in the second quarter against the Patriots and didn’t return. He is a former star in the NFL but has been injury-prone his whole career, and may be hard to count on this week and moving forward.
Player to Watch
Corey Coleman -- The Browns ran the ball well against Baltimore, but that could be tougher sledding against the formidable Miami defensive front. If that’s the case, they will likely need to move the ball efficiency through the air at times in order to have a chance at the upset.
With Josh Gordon still sidelined due to suspension, the main target for either McCown or Kessler will be Coleman, the rookie out of Baylor. Coleman had five receptions for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Baltimore in a breakout performance.
He has breakaway speed and has also shown the ability to haul in tough catches. While the Browns don’t have a lot of game-changers on offense, Coleman is showing he could be one early in his NFL career.
Free ATS Pick
Even though the Dolphins are 0-2, they played a wire-to-wire close one against the Seattle Seahawks in the opener and then rallied to close the gap against the Patriots last time out. Neither outcome went their way, but it would be an upset if they didn’t grab their first win of the year in this showdown.
Cleveland had a golden chance to get its first win last week but couldn’t hold on to the lead. The Browns have been projected to be among the worst teams in the NFL this year and is now staring a likely 0-3 start in its face.
Even if Cleveland was full strength at quarterback, it would be the underdog in this matchup. McCown isn’t a huge step down from Griffin, but if Kessler has to go he could have a lot of trouble. Ndamukong Suh and the rest of the Miami front could have a big day to lead the Dolphins to victory.
Miami could grab this one with relative ease by double digits.
NFL Odds: Dolphins 23, Browns 13
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