NFL Betting – Cleveland Browns at New York Jets

The preseason hype surrounding both teams was tempered after each suffered a disappointing home loss in the season opener. Things get a little more dicey for the New York Jets with starting quarterback Sam Darnold out for the next few games. The Cleveland Browns are hoping for a better showing than the 30-point loss they started the season with and catch the Jets in a downward spiral now that Trevor Siemian is taking snaps. The Browns opened as a 2.5-point favorite for Monday night’s matchup, and when news of Darnold’s plight became public the spread spiked to -6.5.  This article courtesy of Bookmaker.eu

Cleveland Browns at New York Jets

Date and Time: Monday, September 16, 2019, 8:20 p.m. ET

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Opening NFL Odds: Cleveland -2.5, O/U 45.5

Browns at Jets TV Coverage: ESPN

Odds Analysis

The Jets season is on the brink before it even started. Blowing a 16-0 lead to Buffalo in the season-opening loss was bad enough, now Gang Green heads into its showdown with Cleveland minus their QB. The Browns were tapped on the opening line that had them -2.5 and with Darnold expected to miss multiple weeks with mono, the visitors were wagered to -6.5. The Browns were a good bet last season going 10-6 against the spread, but their Week 1 43-13 loss to Tennessee as a 5.5-point favorite put them in the red to start the year. Even without Darnold, Quincy Enunwa and a banged up Le’Veon Bell, the total moved just slightly from it’s opening 45.5 to 45.

Cleveland Browns

All the preseason hoopla and press clippings mean absolutely nothing unless teams can perform on the field when it counts. And the Browns were absent last week. There is no denying the team has more talent than it’s had in a number of years and maybe last week’s brutal 30-point home demolition by the Titans will serve as a wakeup call. Or maybe the Browns are just an overrated bunch.

A lot of the mistakes the team made last week are correctable, which is a plus. The Browns committed 18 penalties, the most by the team since 1951, resulting in nearly 200 yards. They spent too much time going the wrong direction, extending Tennessee drives and extinguishing their own. But that wasn’t the only area where the team struggled. It’s nice to have a bevy of playmakers, but if they can’t make plays what good are they.

Mayfield wasn’t given a lot of time from his line and the pressure resulted in a number of failed plays. Last year’s No. 1 overall pick threw for 285 yards and a touchdown, but he was sacked five times, hit seven others and tossed three picks. Freddie Kitchens said there would be schematic changes to optimize Mayfield’s talent and help in protection. That’s all good, but showing some discipline on the field will go a long way toward getting the Browns in the win column.

New York Jets

Things looked good for three quarters. Then the roof caved in on the Jets.  Not as hyped as the Browns this offseason, New York made a number of moves in an attempt to improve the club giving fans in Gotham at least a tingling that perhaps they could compete for a playoff spot. The acquisition of Bell was the biggest move, and coupled with Darnold they were to give the Jets an improved look on offense.

Returning to the field after sitting out all of 2018 and not taking a snap during the preseason, Bell’s first touchdown as a Jet gave them a 16-0 lead over Buffalo in the third quarter. When the offense needed to sustain a drive and put the game away with more points, it failed. The final four drives following Bell’s score resulted in two punts, a turnover on downs and a lost fumble. Buffalo scored the final 17 points winning outright as a 2.5-point dog.

The Jets success hinges on the development of Darnold, who threw for 178 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo. Now that he’s expected to miss a few games, Siemian takes over for his first snaps since the end of the 2017 campaign. The Jets are also going to be without defensive stalwarts C.J. Mosley and Quinnen Williams. After Mosley departed last week with a groin injury, the Bills put together two touchdown drives to capture the victory.

Bet Browns at Jets at BookMaker.eu

Mayfield has a soft spot for the Jets after making his NFL debut against them last season. He led the Browns to a comeback victory in that game snapping a 19-game winless skid. He hasn’t been to the bench since. There are a lot of subplots in this game, but the bottom line is that the Jets are a mess with their leaders sidelined while the Browns remain a confident group after last week’s debacle. I don’t have a lot of faith in Siemian, but I expect the Jets to come out fighting and cover the line.

NFL Score Prediction: Browns 21, Jets 17

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