Browns vs. Cardinals Spread Prediction
The 6-7 Browns take on the struggling Cardinals at 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday in a matchup that has the visitors laying a field goal. Are the Browns a trustworthy option as the road favorite or will the home dog come through for bettors?
Game Snapshot
325 Cleveland Browns (-3) at 326 Arizona Cardinals (+3); O/U 49
4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 15, 2019
State Farm Stadium, Phoenix, AZ
Public Betting Trends
According to our NFL Football Public Betting Chart page, the Browns are receiving 62% of the betting tickets from online sportsbooks.
Cleveland Browns Fantasy Spin
Odell Beckham (groin) wasn’t listed on the Browns’ final injury report. OBJ is reportedly playing through a sports hernia injury. He’s also one of just six WRs with a catchable deep-ball rate of 25% or less among 58 qualified players (PFF). The only QB with a lower percentage of on-target passes than Baker Mayfield is Mason Rudolph (Pro Football Reference). Yes, Beckham has been a massive disappointment this season. Also yes, it’s not entirely his fault. A bounce-back performance isn’t out of the question against Peterson, who has struggled to limit alpha WRs in three shadow dates this season.
Arizona Cardinals Fantasy Spin
Christian Kirk (ankle) wasn’t listed on the Cardinals’ final injury report. Kirk hasn’t found the end zone aside from his 6-138-3 explosion back in Week 10. Still, his average of 8.8 targets per game ranks 13th among all WRs this season. Treat him as a volume-induced WR3 against a Browns Defense that ranks 19th and 23rd in DVOA against No. 1 and No. 2 WRs, respectively, this season.
NFL Betting Trends
Cleveland
The Browns are 0-4 against the spread in their last four road games and are 3-1-1 against the number in their last five games overall.
Arizona
The Cardinals are just 3-7 against the spread in their last 10 home games but are just 1-5 against the number in their last six games played in the month of December.
Prediction
The Browns have won four out of their last five games but because of the OBJ attention and the reports about Freddie Kitchen being on the hot seat, you would think Cleveland is in freefall mode right now. Granted, the Browns are far from a flawless team but they do have a better collection of talent than Arizona. Plus, Cleveland needs this game to keep its very slim playoff hopes alive, while the Cardinals are just playing out their schedule in Kliff Kinsbury and Kyler Murray’s first season. I’ll take Baker Mayfield and the combustible Browns seeing as how they’re only laying a field goal in this spot. More than that, I may have been tempted to grab the Cardinals but again, I’ll take the more talented team with something to play for.
NFL Week 15 Prediction: Cleveland Browns -3