TNF Football Betting Preview: Bengals vs Browns Odds and Predictions

Week 2 kicks off with an all-Ohio battle as the Cincinnati Bengals visit the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football.

Both of these AFC North rivals are coming off disappointing losses in Week 1 and hope to turn things around by picking up their first win of the season.

This game also features a matchup of the last two number one overall draft picks as Cincy’s Joe Burrow, in his first nationally televised game, goes head to head against Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield. Kickoff inside FirstEnergy Stadium is at 8:20 PM ET.

Bengals vs Browns Live Odds and Betting History

The following odds are courtesy of BetOnline:

Teams	Spread	Money Lines	Totals
Cincinnati Bengals	-6 (-110)	+210	Over 43.5 (-110)
Cleveland Browns	+6 (-110)	-250	Under 43.5 (-110)

Betting Data	Cincinnati Bengals	Cleveland Browns
2020 Record	0-1	0-1
2020 Home	0-1	0-0
2020 Away	0-0	0-1
2020 ATS	0-0-1	0-1
2020 ATS Home	0-0-1	0-0
2020 ATS Away	0-0	0-1
2020 O/U	0-1	0-1
2020 O/U Home	0-1	0-0
2020 O/U Away	0-0	0-1

Cincinnati vs Cleveland TNF Game Preview

These divisional rivals have played against each other 93 total times with the Bengals holding the all-time advantage at 51-42.

The teams split their two games last year, but it’s the Bengals who have had the most success in recent years as they’ve gone 8-3 in the last 11 meetings.

• The Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) were in a battle with the Chargers last week and appeared to have won the game with a late TD pass from Burrow. Unfortunately, wide receiver AJ Green was called for offensive pass interference, which wiped out the TD and the victory for Cincy.
• The Cleveland Browns (0-1) were absolutely embarrassed by the Ravens in Week 1 and are embracing the quick turnaround as a chance to wash away the 38 to 6 defeat. Cleveland will need their stars to play up to their potential in order to hold off the scrappy Bengals.

The spread opened at 8.5 points in favor of the Browns and went as high as 9 points before settling at a current line of Cleveland -6 points with most NFL betting sites.

The Over/Under opened at 46 total points, but has come down to 43.5 total points with most online betting sites.

Head to Head Betting Trends

• Bengals are 7-3 SU in last 10 meetings.
• Bengals are 8-2 ATS in last 10 matchups.
• Cincy is 5-1 ATS in last six games at Cleveland.
• The Over is 5-4-1 in last 10 games.

Cincinnati Bengals Betting Trends

• 2-17 SU in last 19 overall games
• 0-12 SU in last 12 road games
• 2-13 SU in last 15 AFC games
• 2-10 SU in last 12 AFC North games
• 9-2 ATS in last 11 games against Cleveland
• 10-5 ATS in last 15 road games
• The Under is 4-1 in last five September games
• The Under is 5-2 in last seven Week 2 games

Cleveland Browns Betting Trends

• 1-5 SU in last six overall games
• 4-1 SU in last five home games
• 1-4 SU in last five AFC North games
• 1-5 ATS in last five overall games
• 1-4 ATS in last five AFC games
• The Under is 5-0 in last five Thursday games
• The Over is 4-1 in last five games with Cleveland as favorite

Free TNF Sports Bet and Game Prediction: Over 43.5 Points (-110)

The Cleveland Browns were absolutely embarrassed in Week 1 against the Ravens as they gave up 391 total yards and 38 points. The Browns have lost four straight games dating back to last December and haven’t won since they played the Bengals on December 8^th, 2019.

Thursday Night Football starts with a battle of No. 1 overall picks! #CINvsCLE@Bengals vs. @Browns | Thursday 8pm ET only on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/Y6rJhgsv3K

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2020

Cincy showed that they have some fight in them as they went toe-to-toe against the Chargers on Sunday. The Bengals had a chance to win, but an offensive penalty wiped away the go-ahead TD and the defense gave up 10 points in the 4^th quarter.

I hate to say that this is a must win game in Week 2, but for the Browns it is. They fell below expectations last year and had the worst loss of the opening week of the 2020 season.

A loss this Thursday will call into question whether or not Baker Mayfield is their franchise QB. Furthermore, another poor performance by Beckham and the criticism for this team will reach a fever pitch. OBJ had one of the worst games of his career last weekend against the Ravens.

Most national pundits had very little expectations for Cincy. However, a win over the Browns would be great for the team and for building confidence in rookie QB Joe Burrow who went 23-of-36 for 193 yards and 1 INT against the Chargers.

I believe with the way that Cleveland performed on Sunday, they’re going to come out motivated to play their best game. I expect that to translate into 27+ points and a strong offensive performance. Look for Baker to connect with Landry and OBJ, while Chubb has a strong running game.

I like the Over 43.5 (-110) points for this divisional matchup. The Over is 2-0-1 in the last three meetings between these two teams. Additionally, for Cleveland, the Over is 5-0 in their last five games as the betting favorite.

I expect these two teams to both put up 20+ points on Thursday and comfortably pass the O/U of 43.5 points. Cleveland wins 27 to 20 behind a solid offensive outing for Baker and company.

Bengals vs Browns Betting Recap:

• Oddsmaker: BetOnline
• Moneylines: Bengals (+210) vs Browns (-250)
• Spread: Browns -6 (-110)
• Over/Under: 5 total points (-110)
• Prediction: Cleveland 27 – Cincy 20