AFC North Saturday Showdown
AFC North Divisional Matchup
Point Spread: Ravens +3.0 | Total Points: 37.0
The Ravens come into this AFC North game vs Cleveland looking to pick up their 3rd straight win. For the year, they have an above .500 record at 9-4. This week, the Ravens will look to keep things rolling after picking up a 16-14 win over their division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. In addition to winning the game, the Ravens picked up an ATS win as they were 1.5-point underdogs. The team’s combined scoring of 30 points fell below the posted betting line of 36.
Leading into their week 15 matchup against Baltimore, the Browns have an overall record of 5-8. In week 14, the Cleveland Browns fell in an AFC North matchup against the Bengals by a score of 23-10. Cleveland entered the game as 4.0 point underdogs on the spread. The team’s combined scoring of 33 points fell below the posted betting line of 47.
Ravens vs Browns History
The last time these two teams played came back in week 7, when the Ravens picked up a 23-20 win over the Browns. Key to their win was their ability to run the ball. Overall, the team finished with 160 yards on the ground. Gus Edwards led the group with 66 yards on 16 attempts. Even though the Ravens walked away with the straight-up win, they were not able to cover the spread as 6.5-point favorites. The two team’s offense’s combined to score 43 points. This figure was below the over-under betting line of 46.0.
In the last 3 head-to-head matchups, the Ravens are averaging 20 points per game, compared to the Browns at 18. These figures have led to Baltimore posting a record of 2-1. Cleveland will look to do a better job at home in this series, as across their 3 most recent home games vs Baltimore, they are 0-3. In terms of betting, Baltimore holds a recent edge vs the spread, going 4-1 in the previous 5 meetings. These games have finished with an average point total of 49, leading to an over-under mark of 2-3.
Notable Injuries
Baltimore Ravens
- Kevin Zeitler (Knee) Questionable
- Morgan Moses (Knee) Questionable
- Demarcus Robinson (Illness) Questionable
- Lamar Jackson (Knee) Questionable
- Tyler Huntley (Concussion) Questionable
- Jordan Stout (Knee) Questionable
Cleveland Browns
- D’Anthony Bell (Thumb/toe) Questionable
- A.J. Green (Toe) Probable
- Denzel Ward (Shoulder) Questionable
- Chase Winovich (Knee) Probable
- Hjalte Froholdt (Ankle) Probable
- John Johnson III (Knee) Questionable
- David Njoku (Knee) Questionable
Keys To Victory: Baltimore Ravens
For the season, the Baltimore offense is averaging 23.2 points per contest, placing them 12th in the NFL. The team’s strong offensive numbers have led to an average scoring differential of +3.92. Going into week 15, the Ravens offense has struggled in the passing game, as they are ranked just 27th in yards per game through the air. This week, they face a Browns defense that is ranked near the NFL average in pass yards allowed per game. For the year, Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has thrown for a total of 2242 passing yards on a passer rating of 91.07. However, Jackson comes into the game listed as questionable on the injury report. One thing to keep an eye on that might affect the Baltimore offense is the health status of wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, as he is also listed as questionable. So far, Robinson leads the team with 390 receiving yards while catching 67.9% of the balls thrown his way.
On the ground, the Ravens should be able to put in yet another strong performance, as they are currently the 2nd ranked team in rush yards per game and face off vs a defense that is vulnerable up front. So far, the team’s leading rusher is Kenyan Drake, who is averaging 4.5 yards per attempt. Through 11 games, he has rushed for a total of 422 yards on the ground.
Keys To Victory: Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland offense enter this week 15 matchup averaging 23.1 points per contest, placing them 13th in the NFL. Overall, Watson is ranked 31st among quarterbacks in yards per game at 203.5. This figure has come on a completion percentage of 59.4%. In his last game, he finished with a passer rating of 79.1 while throwing for 276 yards. Amari Cooper has been targeted 109 times and has caught 57.8% of the passes thrown his way. He comes into the game with a total of 874 receiving yards.
Running back Nick Chubb comes into the game averaging 88.7 yards per game on the ground and heads the league’s 5th-ranked team in rush yards per contest. For the season, Chubb has a yards-per-attempt figure of 5.0. Yet, they have finished just 6 games with more rush yards then their opponent.
Betting Trends
- Baltimore is 3-2 ATS in their last 5 games on the road.
- Baltimore is 2-2-1 ATS in their last 5 games at home.
- Baltimore is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as the underdog.
- Baltimore is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games as the favorite.
Prediction
Deshaun Watson hasn’t been exactly spectacular in his return to football, but there are signs that the rust is starting to get shaken off. We like the Browns in this contest in a tight gritty battle against a banged-up divisional opponent. Browns win & cover.
