Cleveland At Cincinnati NFL Expert Picks

The AFC North may not be the most competitive division in the NFL, but you cannot deny that it is the toughest. The 4 teams in that division have a genuine hatred for one another, and that usually means that every divisional game is a lesson in smashmouth, hard-hitting football. The general consensus heading into this season was that this division would be a 2-horse race between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Bengals are not living up to their end of the bargain, as they will be heading into this one with a disappointing 2-4 record. A game against the 0-6 Cleveland Browns would appear to be just what the doctor order for Cincinnati, but this is a Brows team that is not as bad as their record suggests. This is a division that always delivers tough games, and it may well be the team that wants this one more that comes away with the win. The Bengals will be coming into this one as a 9.5-point home online betting favorite.

Analyzing The Browns At Bengals NFL Expert Picks

When: Sunday, October 23 at 1 PM EST
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
TV: CBS
Radio: WCKY and WKRK
Live Stream: CBS Sports Network
NFL Odds: TBA

Why bet on the Cleveland Browns

It doesn’t matter which team you follow; you have to feel a little bit of sympathy for the Cleveland Browns. Yes, a lot of their struggles have been self-inflicted over the years, but this season has been just plain cruel, as they are now down to their third string QB after seeing RGIII and Josh McCown go down with injuries. Further hurting the cause is the fact that the Browns have had a pretty tough schedule to start the season, so it’s no real surprise that they would still be winless at this point. On the bright side, they have played the Bengals pretty tough over the past couple of seasons, and are 1-1 in their last two visits to Paul Brown Stadium.

Why bet on the Cincinnati Bengals

If you look at the Bengals total yardage in their games this season, you would imagine that this was a team putting up some pretty big points. That has not been the case, though as they have struggled to get the ball in the end zone on a regular basis, and are in fact only averaging 18.2 PPG, while the defense is giving up over 24 PPG. The Bengals are going to be feeling the pressure coming into this one, as they know that another loss could have them losing even more ground to the Steelers at the top of the AFC North. It’s fair to say, even at this early stage of the season, that this is a must win game for Cincinnati.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The Bengals have gone 3-1 against the Browns over the past two seasons, and even though they are not playing particularly good football at the moment, it’s tough to imagine them losing this one. I like the Bengals to win and cover on Sunday.

Cleveland Browns 17 Cincinnati Bengals 31