With Deshaun Watson going down with a season-ending Achilles tear last week against the Bengals, the Browns will be moving on to Jameis Winston at quarterback in Week 8 against the Ravens. While Cleveland has not shown much so far this season, this could be the spark that gets the team going. It comes at a good time to fade Baltimore, following a high-scoring primetime road win on a short week.
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
Browns +8.5 (-110)
1-unit
Regardless of Watson’s off the field issues, the Browns were clearly stuck with one of the worst contracts in the history of sports. It created at atmosphere where Watson simply could not be benched. So fate intervened, and now a locker room favorite in Winston will takeover at QB. I’m not calling for the Browns to completely turn their season around, but I think it’s fair to expect some improvement, and this is a good week to bet on getting a spark out of this team.
Watson was putting up historically poor quarterbacking numbers, and virtually anybody would’ve been an upgrade. Dorian Thompson-Robinson replaced Watson last week, but didn’t play well and suffered a finger injury. So Winston closed the game out, and has already been named the starter this week. Winston comes with some turnover issues, but there’s no doubt he’s a better pure passer than Watson, and will give the receivers chances down field.
While the Ravens are shaping up to be one of the best overall teams in the NFL, this is actually a cushy spot for Winston to step under center. The Ravens rank dead last in passing yards allowed per game this season, and are now allowing a whopping 342.3 yards through the air in road games. Baltimore also ranks near the bottom of the NFL in points per game allowed, including over 30 per game on the road. The Buccaneers did just that on Monday Night Football, putting up 31 points despite their top-two receivers going down during the game.
Now the Ravens will be on a short week, going in the division for their second straight road game. They also have close to zero tape from this season on the quarterback they will be facing this week — not to mention the Browns have re-assigned play calling duties as well. It’s not exactly a strong spot for Baltimore here.
I think the familiarity in the division gives an average Cleveland defense a chance to slow down Lamar Jackson and company on the short week. The Baltimore defense is going to be doing a lot of guessing against what new plays the Browns call with their new quarterback. Cleveland has faced solid competition each of the last two weeks and played one-score games against the Eagles and Bengals. In fact, the Browns have only lost by more than a touchdown twice this season. I’ll take Cleveland to keep this one competitive at home.
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