NFL: Cincinnati Bengals vs Cleveland Browns and Picks 10/31/2022

 

Game Time:  8:15 PM ET, Monday, October 31st, 2022

Venue:  FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Where to Watch:  ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

FanDuel: point spread: Bengals -3.5; O/U 46.5

DraftKings: Bengals -3.5; O/U 46

Caesars: Bengals -3.5; O/U 46

Bengals: 4-3 2nd place AFC North

Browns: 2-5, 3rd place AFC North

A Monday Night Football matchup between two AFC North teams… It is also the pro football battle for OHIO!  The Bengals and Browns have been not winning Super Bowls for as long as I can remember.  There is a race on at the moment… which one of these OHIO teams will be the first to get a Super Bowl Championship trophy.  Sure the Browns won some Championships in the 50’s back before there were Super Bowls or color TV or anti-lock brakes or rap music or people caring all that much.  Since then OHIO has been blanked at every turn.  This most recent generation has found the Bengals with the best young QB anyone can remember playing pro ball in OHIO… and the Browns have essentially built the best skeleton of a team anywhere… great weapons, great defense… no QB.  Oh the Browns do have a QB but he is serving an 11 game suspension for sexual misconduct… possibly assault.. And he didn’t play all of last season.  The Browns will get him sometime in December and then the Browns will have to work in a star QB who has missed his last 27 games, but made his last several dozen court appearances. At the moment the Bengals have an all-pro QB and will be puttering him up against a career back-up who is on a losing streak.

The Cincinnati Bengals got off to a bad start… especially for a team that made it to last season’s Super Bowl and expect to make it back.  They opened with losses to Pittsburgh and Dallas, but have turned things around with wins in 4 of their last 5 games.  In fact the bengals are 5-0 ATS over the last 5 games.  QB Joe Burrow is leading the 5th ranked passing game in the NFL.  They were just dealt an awful blow however… WR Ja’Marr Chase is sidelined for 6-8 weeks with a hip injury.  Chase is among one of the better receiving groups in the league… but he is clearly the best offensive weapon on the team.  His absence will leave a big gap!  WR Tee Higgins and RB Joe Mixon will have to step up big time to keep this team alive until his return.  The Bengals defense is strong but not great… they teeter on the edge of top ten.

The Cleveland Browns are leaning very heavily on a strong run game…. But in today’s NFL… passing beats running every time.  So while the Browns are 3rd in rushing yards per game… Their 22nd rank in passing has led to an atrocious early season record of 2-5.  QB Jacoby Brissett is a good guy doing the best he can… but all that is expected of him is to hold down the fort until the monster- uh,  i mean.. starting quarterback shows up.  The offense is bad and the defense was average and seems to shrink every week as the losses pile up.  The long and short of the Browns game plan is:  RB Nick Chubb… the guy has 740 yards and 8 touchdowns in 7 games.  

ASA INC is 10-4  in the last 7 days of the NFL for a profit of $5,000 with  BIG Winners everywhere! Get Asa Inc’s picks!!....  Follow a handicapper soon!  They are available right now at the Shop Picks Page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.  And stay with BigAl.com for all your favorite sports… MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, NCAAF, NCAAB.  Remember winning a wager is more fun than making the wager… more profitable too!!

 

RECENT FORM

The Bengals are 8th in scoring with 24.7 points per game, 8th in total yards with 366.1 per game, 5th in passing yards with 278.7 per game, and 28th in rushing yards with 87.4 per game.

The Browns are 10th in scoring with 24 points per game, 3rd in total yards with 378 per game, 22nd in passing yards with 214.4 per game, and 3rd in rushing yards with 163.6 per game.

The Bengals defense is 11th in defending total yards with 321.1 per game allowed, 9th in defense of passing yards with 202.1 per game, 19th in rushing yards with 119 per game, and 8th in defense of points scored with 18.9 allowed per game.

The Browns defense is 16th in defense of total yards with 346 per game, 14th in defense of passing yards with 210.4 per game, 24th in rushing yards with 135.6 per game, and sadly 29th in defense of points scored with 26.6 points given up per game.

Our prediction for Monday, October 31st is… Bengals 24 - Browns 17

 

The Browns got a huge boost with WR Ja’Marr Chase’s injury, but QB Joe Burrow is the type of offensive talent that will find the other weapons and get the win.  If the line moves it will move in the favor of the Browns.  Still the Bengals should win by 6 or more.  I’d even consider selling a pint or two for a bigger return.

 

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NFL Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com.  Just click on Shop Picks for our Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to join for a week or a month.  And if you enjoyed this Bengals/Browns preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.

  

The Bengals are 10-2 ATS in road games where the total is 45.5 or greater the last 3 seasons.

The Bengals are 9-2 ATS off a non-conference game the last 3 seasons.

The Browns are 4-12 ATS in home games where the total is 42.5 to 49 points the last 3 seasons.

The Browns are 0-10 ATS off a road loss the last 3 seasons.

Bengals: QB Joe Burrow, HB Joe Mixon, WR Ja’Marr Chase, WR Tyler Boyd, WR Tee Higgins, TE Hayden Hurst, LT Jonah Williams, LG Cordell Volson, C Ted Karras, RG Alex Cappa, RT La’el Collins

Browns: QB Jacoby Brissett, RB Nick Chubb, WR Amari Cooper, WR Donovan People-Jones, TE David Njoku, TE Harrison Bryant, LT Jedrick Wills JR, LG Joel Bitonio, C Ethan Pocic, RG Hjalte Froholdt, RT Jack Conklin

Showers.  63* for the day’s high… much colder during the game, Humidity 81%, wind 12 mph.  Few things stink more than Cleveland weather… I suppose maybe the only thing is Cleveland night life.