The regular season can’t get started soon enough for the Cleveland Browns, who are looking to put that winless last season behind them as quickly as possible. Unfortunately they’ll have to play through one more preseason matchup before the games count for real. Things appear to be looking better for the Browns, though. A scary moment from their game with the Eagles last week resulted in just a sore hand for Tyrod Taylor, who remains in line to start the opener. The Browns will meet the Detroit Lions in the Week 4 preseason finale on Thursday.
This duel in Week 4 of the preseason will go down Thursday, August 30, 2018, at 7 p.m. ET at Ford Field. The game will air live on NFL Network.
NFL Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Cleveland Browns +1
Detroit Lions -1
Over/Under 36.5
Odds Analysis
Early action on the visitors already forced movement on the line, which opened at Detroit -2.5. Preseason games are always difficult to handicap, but the Week 4 games are even tougher with the number of regulars expected to sit out. The line fell to Detroit -1 with the total at 36.5.
Quarterback Rotation
Don’t expect Hue Jackson to tempt fate in the final preseason game. Not that he would have anyway, but after a scare with Taylor in the Week 3 tune-up game, we can expect plenty of Drew Stanton and Brogan Roback against the Lions. Taylor, who has been anointed the starter, injured his hand after being tackled on the sideline in the first half. He was taken to the locker room but returned moments later and was inserted back into the game.
There was a scare with No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield, who was checked for a concussion in the second half. Stanton played the final two series completing 1 of 3 for 7 yards. Stanton misfired on four passes in the Week 2 game with Buffalo. Roback did not play the last two games and is a likely roster casualty. He went 2 of 4 for 22 yards in mop-up duty in the opener.
We aren’t sure how rookie coach Matt Patricia attacks the preseason, but we do know that his first team was overmatched again in last week’s game. The Lions rallied to get a victory, but that was long after the first-team offense left the game. It’s doubtful we see Matthew Stafford take the field on Thursday after he went 9 of 18 for 113 yards. He did lead the Lions on a pair of extended drives that resulted in field goals.
With Matt Cassel the primary backup and only three QBs on the roster, we could see plenty of Jake Rudock against the Browns. Rudock is having a strong preseason and tossed the game-winning touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in last week’s game. Rudock has completed over 72 percent of his throws with two touchdowns and no picks.
Coaching History
Most coaches dismiss the final preseason game, playing guys that will not be on the team when roster cutdowns take effect over the weekend. But Patricia is in a tough situation after his Lions had yet another difficult outing last week against the Bucs. Sure, the Lions won the game giving the rookie coach his first victory, but the starters looked awful and contributed little to the outcome.
“The preseason is important,” Patricia said following last week’s tilt. “It’s important for us to really take a look at everybody and find out where we’re at.” The Lions get one last opportunity to evaluate the roster ahead of the regular season, and you can expect Patricia to be just as unpredictable as his mentor Bill Belichick.
Free ATS Pick
Detroit’s reserves did plenty in last week’s win over the Bucs, helping to rally the club from a 27-6 deficit with 20 fourth quarter points to get the victory. Jackson is happy with what his Browns have done and we don’t anticipate seeing many of his regulars on the field, which is a huge advantage for the Lions.
Rudock will likely get a majority of snaps for Detroit and he’s proven to be better than anything Cleveland will put out there. And we can expect the Lions to show more than they have in the first three games, even if it is from the backups and reserves. Patricia is a stickler for details and that will show in a cover win in the preseason finale.
NFL Betting Odds: Lions 20, Browns 10
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