Welcome to NFL Week 16 action, sports betting friends. Most folks may overlook this Sunday's Buffalo vs Cleveland matchup because of the inflated point spread. However, as we learn every week, anything can happen in this crazy league.
The Bills are coming off a huge come-from-behind win over their division rival Patriots. The Browns were blown out on the road by the upstart Bears. Will Buffalo keep rolling or will Cleveland pull off an unthinkable upset?
We'll answer that question and many more in our betting preview for Bills vs Browns. Also, be sure to check out our top bonus offer and best bet below. Enjoy the action, folks!
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Online sportsbooks opened this line at Buffalo -8.5 on the look-ahead last week. A ton of Bills money came into the market earlier this week, which caused most shops to move to their current number of Buffalo -10. We all know that the Bills are dominant, but should they be laying double digits on the road?
As for the game total, there's been no major line movement to report so far. The line opened at 42.5, and most shops are still doling out that same number. As always, be sure to shop around for the best price before pulling the trigger on any bet.
Buffalo's offense has been one of the best in the league this season. The Bills rank 3rd in points scored, 4th in yards per play, and 4th in 3rd down conversion rate. As you might have guessed, Josh Allen is having another stellar season (3276 passing yards, 37 total TDs).
The Bills' running game is finally taking a lot of pressure off of Allen. James Cook has been on fire all year long, as he's run for 1415 yards and 10 TDs. The O-line struggles in pass protection at times, but it has no trouble opening up the rushing lanes.
The Bills' defense has its fair share of issues. They do a decent job against the pass, but they rank next to last in stopping the run. This unit has some talent, but the fact that they've given up 65 points over the last two games is more than a bit concerning.
Cleveland has lost three in a row and four of its last five games. The sad thing is that the Brownies even lost to the lowly Titans a couple of weeks ago. Shedeur Sanders has looked better than some folks thought he would, but his six interceptions have been a bugaboo.
One of the few bright spots of the Browns' offense has been rookie RB Quinshon Judkins. The former Ohio State star has run for 805 yards and 7 TDs behind a subpar offensive line. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. leads the team in receiving yardage with 667.
As usual, the Browns' defense is the backbone of the franchise. They rank 4th in yards per play allowed and 6th in yards per rush allowed. Myles Garrett is having another career year (21.5 sacks), so much so that he's a virtual lock to win Defensive Player of the Year.
BUF vs CLE: 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, December 21
Call me crazy, but I think Cleveland can hang with Buffalo for at least a half. The Bills are the best 2nd half team in the league, but they tend to start out very slow in most of their outings. They're just 6-16 ATS in the first half over their last 22 games.
The Browns are bad, really bad, but they have covered the first-half spread in 12 of their last 20 ball games. I expect them to show lots of heart at home in front of the Dawg Pound. If Sanders and Co. can just get us 7-10 points in the first stanza, I feel pretty good about us getting the cover.
This is also a rough sandwich spot for Buffalo. The Bills just had a tough game against the Pats, and they've got a huge game on deck next week against the Eagles. Will they really take the Browns that seriously?