Browns Open as 6.5-Point Favorites vs Bengals in Week 2

• The Cleveland Browns lost their Week 1 contest 38-6 to the Baltimore Ravens
• The Cincinnati Bengals fell to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, dropping a 19-16 result on a missed last-second field goal
• The Browns have opened as a 6.5-point favorite for their Week 2 home opener against Cincinnati

The Cleveland Browns laid an egg in the opener, getting stomped 38-6 by the Baltimore Ravens. They’ll now host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, a team that also lost their opener. The Browns have opened as a 6.5-point favorite for this contest but which way will the line move throughout the week?

Bengals vs Browns Odds

Odds as of September 13th

Browns Get Flattened By Ravens

The Browns were a massive disappointment in 2019 and they had hoped that a coaching change and some roster tweaking would change their momentum in 2020. One game doesn’t make a whole season, but Week 1 was very disheartening for the Browns.

Not only did Cleveland lose 38-6, there wasn’t any facet of their that performance that was encouraging. Quarterback Baker Mayfield looked lost under center, finishing 21-of-39 with just 189 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The team ran the ball well – 138 yards on 27 carries – but a lot of that came in garbage time when the game was out of hand.

The Browns forgot they were the Browns for a second pic.twitter.com/Ood4kKb2Ep

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 13, 2020

As for the defense, it was picked apart as Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson only missed on five passes, going 20-of-25 for 275 yards and three touchdowns. The Browns had eight penalties for 80 yards and allowed the Ravens to convert 6-of-11 third downs. This was a very ugly start for a team that was hoping to turn the tide.

Bengals Fought Hard But Bungled A Win

The Bengals were surprisingly competitive in their Week 1 game with the Los Angeles Chargers, leading for most of the contest. Even so, the Bengals have to feel unlucky to have lost, getting called on a questionable offensive pass interference on the potential game-winning touchdown at the end of the game.

Once that call was made, the Bengals lined up for a 31-yard field goal to try and force overtime, but Randy Bullock missed the chip shot. On the plus side, rookie quarterback Joe Burrow looked pretty good, completely 23-of-36 for 193 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, but he also had 46 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Brutal ending for the Bengals as Randy Bullock misses the game-tying kick.pic.twitter.com/AgNYVvwJnl

— Sporting News (@sportingnews) September 13, 2020

The challenge is that Burrow was under siege all game, getting sacked three times. If the Bengals can’t clean that up, it’s going to be an uphill battle against better teams.

The Bengals really should have won the game given the missed field goal and two costly turnovers. All things considered, it was a good showing in Burrow’s debut.

Yearly tweet for the Cleveland Browns… pic.twitter.com/9f1UsIuU9E

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) September 13, 2020

Which Way Will The Line Move?

The line seems about fair where it is but given the way the two teams showed in Week 1, it wouldn’t be a surprise if action came in on the Bengals. They were competitive against a good Chargers team and a worse version of the Bengals lost by eight and beat the Browns in the two meetings last season.

Look for the Bengals vs Browns odds to close roughly where they are right now by kickoff next week.