The Cleveland Browns visit the New York Giants on Sunday Night in a game that can be seen on NBC. The game was flexed into this spot by NBC and they are hoping it is competitive. This is a massive letdown spot for the Browns, as they are coming off an emotional home loss on Monday to Baltimore. Whether the Giants are good enough to take advantage is the question. New York comes into this game at 5-8 and a game back of Washington in the NFC East. Let’s look at the Sunday night matchup and NFL picks.
Watch this regular season NFL Week 15 matchup on Sunday, December 20, at 8:20 p.m. ET from MetLife Stadium. Catch the game live on NBC and bet on NFL odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
NFL Odds at Bookmaker.eu
Cleveland Browns -3.5
New York Giants +3.5
Total 45.5
Odds Analysis
The line has been moving toward Cleveland and the over. The Browns opened as a 3-point favorite and the number is up to 3.5 and there is a good chance it goes to 4. The total opened at 45 and has already moved up to 45.5. It is no surprise that the line is moving toward Cleveland, as the public likes to bet favorites and overs, especially in prime-time games.
Injury Report
The two new injury updates to keep an eye on for Cleveland are the ones to tight end Austin Hooper and cornerback Denzel Ward. The Browns could really use Hooper, as quarterback Baker Mayfield needs another reliable receiving option other than Jarvis Landry. The Browns also need Ward, as their secondary has plenty of holes. On the other side, the Giants are dealing with the injury to quarterback Daniel Jones. He has a hamstring injury that continues to cause him problems. Jones also suffered a back injury late in last week’s games against Arizona. New York head coach Joe Judge said that the team had no regrets about playing Jones last week even though Jones was not totally healthy. “No, I have no regrets on playing him. We made a calculated decision based on what he could do as a player. We went out there, and as a team, we have to execute better,” Judge said to the media. Jones admitted that he was not at full strength. “I think I wasn’t able to run like I normally do,” Jones said to the media, “It wore on me a bit during the game.”
Key Matchup
If Jones can’t play then it would be Colt McCoy getting the start. Regardless of who starts for the Giants we know they are going to focus on running the ball. The key matchup in this game is the Cleveland run defense against the New York running attack. The Browns do not have a good defense, as they rank 27th in the NFL in points allowed per game. They are 16th in the league against the run, giving up 114.1 yards per game. The Giants are the second-worst team in the league on offense, scoring just 18.3 points per game. They are 14th in rushing offense at 116.5 yards per game.
Game Trends
The Browns are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in this series. The Browns are 16-41-1 ATS in their last 58 games following a straight up loss. The Browns are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite. The Browns are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 road games. The Giants are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog. The Giants are 8-21-1 ATS in their last 30 home games. The Over is 4-1 in the Browns last 5 road games. The Under is 5-0 in the Giants last 5 games overall.
Free ATS Pick
This has all the looks of a low scoring game that is decided by seven points or less. I lean a little bit toward the Giants, but I don’t trust the New York offense. I think the defenses will control this game on Sunday night, so I will go under the total.
NFL Pick: Browns 20, Giants 17
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