Baltimore Ravens vs Cleveland Browns 12/14/2020 NFL Odds, Preview and Prediction

The Baltimore Ravens will look to keep their playoff hopes alive as they visit the surging Cleveland Browns at the FirstEnergy Stadium.

Baltimore snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over the Dallas Cowboys the last time out and at 7-5, they are just one game off a wildcard spot. Meanwhile, the Browns won their fourth straight game against the Tennessee Titans the last time out to improve to 9-3 on the season.

The defending AFC North champions Ravens routed the Browns 38-6 as seven-point favorites in week 1 but a lot has changed since that meeting. Baltimore has dropped five of their last 11 games and has struggled with the COVID-19 case. They will be without Dez Bryant and five other receivers in this contest due to the coronavirus. On the other hand, Cleveland has won nine out of their last 11 games played and are inching closer to their first playoff appearance since 2002.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens took care of business against the struggling Dallas Cowboys one game after losing to Pittsburgh in a game where Lamar Jackson didn’t play due to COVID-19. Baltimore is looking to climb back to the playoff picture as they are one game behind the wild card teams in the AFC. Baltimore trailed 10-7 against Dallas before shutting down the Cowboys’ offense. They outgained Dallas 401-388 but lost the first down battle 29-19 and ball possession 32:26 to 27:34.

Lamar Jackson threw for 107 yards with another 94 yards on the ground while Gus Edwards rushed for 101 yards on just seven carries. Jackson threw only 17 passes in the game, completing 12. He has completed 63.8% of his passes for 2,055 passing yards with 17 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Jackson has rushed for 669 yards with four scores on the ground this season.

The Ravens are scoring an average of 26.3 points per game, 13th in the NFL. They are also ranked third overall in points allowed at 19.3 per contest. Baltimore has recorded a total of 28 sacks, 11 interceptions, and 11 fumble recoveries. Matthew Judon and Calais Campbell lead the team with four interceptions each.

What are the Moneyline Odds?

Ravens

-165

Browns

+145

Odds from BetOnline as of 12/14/2020

Cleveland Browns

The Browns won their fourth consecutive game last week with a strong start off the gates against the Tennessee Titans. Cleveland surged to a 38-7 halftime lead and coasted in the second half to ensure their first winning season since 2007 with their 9-3 record. Cleveland had a 458-431 advantage in total offense and won the first down battle 26-25. They also dominated the time of possession 36:46 to 23:14 while forcing three turnovers and committing just one.

Baker Mayfield had his best game of the season last week, completing 25 of 33 passes for 341 yards with four touchdowns and no interception. For the season, Mayfield has thrown for 2,442 passing yards with 21 touchdowns and only seven interceptions on the season. Running back Nick Chubb has been a great compliment for Mayfield with 799 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Chubb has an impressive 6.0 yards per carry average this season.

The Browns are ranked 15th in the NFL in scoring at 25.5 points per game this season. They are 22nd in scoring defense at 26.8 points per game allowed this season. Cleveland has posted 30 sacks, 10 interceptions, and 10 fumble recoveries this year. Myles Garrett leads the defense with an impressive 10.5 sacks this season.

Who Wins?

Baltimore is 14-6 SU in their last 20 games played. The Ravens are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games played on the road. Cleveland is 5-1 SU in their last six games played. The Browns are also 5-1 SU in their last six games played on the road. Head to head, the Ravens are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played against the Browns.

Baltimore has been through a lot in recent weeks. They have battled with COVID-19 cases in the team and even got a scare when Dez Bryant was pulled from Tuesday’s game against the Cowboys.

The Browns are having a great season. Sure, they beat the Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, and Jacksonville Jaguars by a combined 10 points before the big win over the Titans last week. But Cleveland with a four-game winning streak? That’s a huge confidence booster for this team considering how they have finished the previous seasons.

Baker Mayfield is coming off his best performance of the season. This is the biggest game for the Browns in a long, long time. I don’t think that the historical records matter much in this game. Cleveland is in a better spot than the Ravens right now and they have improved since their first meeting. They have played well at home and can lock up 2nd place in the division with a win here. I’m betting on a big performance by Mayfield and the Browns.

Prediction: Cleveland Browns

Other Bets To Make

The Ravens are 6-5-1 ATS in 12 games played this season, and 3-2-1 ATS in their last five games played on the road. Baltimore is 6-1 ATS in their last seven games played against the AFC North. The Browns are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played. Cleveland is 3-3 ATS in six home games played this season, 1-5 ATS in their last six games played against the AFC. Head to head, the Ravens are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Browns. Baltimore is also 10-2 ATS in their last 12 road games played against Cleveland.

What are the Spread Odds?

Ravens

-3 (-120)

Browns

+3 (-100)

Odds from BetOnline as of 12/14/2020

Mayfield threw for 334 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions last week against Tennessee. He also has a great compliment in Chubb. Sure the Browns don’t have the kind of defense that Baltimore has. But theirs is a unit that gets the job done when needed. The Ravens are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games after a win. The Browns are 7-2 ATS in their last nine Week 14 games. I like the Browns to pull off the upset here.

Prediction: Browns +3

The total has gone under in seven out of the 12 games played by the Ravens this season. The under is 4-2 in their six road games played this season, and 8-2 in their last 10 games played against the AFC. The total has gone over is seven out of the 12 games played by the Browns this season. Cleveland has seen the total go under in eight out of their last 11 Week 14 games played. Head to head, the total has gone under in six out of the last eight games played between these two teams.

Baltimore proved last September that it can stop Mayfield and the Cleveland offense. The Ravens are ranked 4th in the league in scoring defense which has kept them in games this season despite their offensive woes. The under is 5-1 in Baltimore’s last six games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game and 4-1 in their last five after an ATS win. The Browns have seen the total go under in six out of their last seven games after picking up 250+ passing yards in their previous games and the under is also 9-2 in their last 11 home games against teams with a winning road record. I expect a better offensive effort from the Browns but this important game will be played at a low-scoring pace.

Prediction: Under 45.5

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