Browns vs Ravens Odds, Lines, and Spread
- The Baltimore Ravens are 7.5-point home favorites over the visiting Cleveland Browns in the opener for both teams
- The teams split their two games with each other last season as both teams won on the road
- Read below for odds, analysis and a preview of this AFC North showdown
The Baltimore Ravens open defense of their AFC North title when they host the Cleveland Browns at 1pm on Sunday (Sept. 13).
The Ravens had the best regular-season record in the NFL last year at 14-2 before being stunned by the visiting Tennessee Titans in their first playoff game.
The Browns were 6-10 a year ago, a huge disappointment after plenty of pre-season hype. Much was expected after getting wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants in a trade, among other big-name acquisition.
The weather forecast calls for 81 degrees under mostly cloudy skies with slight winds and a 30% chance of showers, most likely after 3pm.
Browns vs Ravens Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total at FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | +7.5 (-115) | +265 | Over 48.5 (-105) |
| Ravens | -7.5 (-105) | -330 | Under 48.5 (-115) |
Odds taken Sept. 11
Splitsville in 2019
The Ravens and Browns split their two meetings last season, with each team winning on the road.
In Week 4, the Browns posted a 40-25 win as seven-point underdogs. Nick Chubb rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns, Jarvis Landry had 167 receiving yards and Baker Mayfield threw for 342 yards.
Chubbs’ trash-talking performance was nearly as strong.
We mic’d up our team’s biggest trash talker against the Ravens: Nick Chubb 😅
Watch the extended mic’d up » https://t.co/Qo4LZ5YaTu pic.twitter.com/MWHyZ0vtS6
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 2, 2019
The Ravens turned the tables as 10-point favorites in Week 16 with a 31-15 victory. Lamar Jackson had 238 yards passing and 103 more rushing, a final stop en route to winning the NFL Most Valuable Player award.
The Browns had won three in a row against the Ravens against the spread prior to that game.
Tightening Up The D
The Ravens were fifth in the NFL in rushing defense during the regular season in 2019.
However, the Titans’ Derrick Henry gashed Baltimore in the playoffs. In a 28-12 victory, Henry rushed for 195 yards – including a 66-yard run – on 30 carries.
In the offseason, the Ravens responded by adding run-stopping reinforcements. They traded for Jacksonville Jaguars end Calais Campbell, signed end Derek Wolfe as a free agent and chose LSU middle linebacker Patrick Queen in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Ravens defensive line drills, which includes the massively tall duo of Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe pic.twitter.com/f0HV1zuENf
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) September 4, 2020
The revamped defense will get a test from the Browns. Chubb was second in the NFL in rushing yards with 1,494 last season and Kareem Hunt won the league rushing title in 2017 with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Ravens did do a much better job of stopping Chubb in their second meeting last season, holding him to 45 yards on 15 carries.
Can Baker Bounce Back?
Mayfield says he is taking the game more seriously and ready for a bounce-back season following a poor 2019 in which he was intercepted 21 times.
The Browns brought in an offensive-minded head coach, Kevin Stefanski, to try to coax more out of Mayfield.
He will be tested right out of the gate by the Ravens, who had the fourth-best overall defense in the league last season.
While Mayfield had one of his best games in the first meeting with Baltimore last season, he was limited to 192 passing yards in the December rematch.
Mayfield, the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, threw for 22 touchdowns a year ago, barely surpassing his pick total. He completed just 59.4% of his throws for 3,827 yards.
Mayfield’s teammates said during training camp he seemed more focused than last season. It should also help that Beckham and Landry are healthy after undergoing offseason surgeries.
Ravens are Motivated
A lot of people fell for the hype surrounding the Browns last season and that apparently included many players in their locker room.
The spread on this game opened with the Ravens as an eight-point favorite in the Browns vs Ravens odds. The line has shifted slightly toward Cleveland.
However, it is hard to pick against the Ravens. They are the more proven commodity in this game.
Also, do not discount the hunger of a team waiting eight months to cleanse the bitter taste of postseason defeat.
The pick: Ravens -7.5 (-105)
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
