You Can Get +400 Odds on the Browns Making the Playoffs; Should You Take Them?
- The Cleveland Browns have won two games in a row to improve to 4-6
- Only one of the Browns’ final six games is against a team with a winning record
- Has Cleveland dug itself too deep of a hole to still make the postseason?
The Cleveland Browns had a tumultuous start to the season but, over the last few weeks, have started to turn things around. They’ve won two in a row and gained a modicum of momentum.
With a soft schedule the rest of the way, are the Browns worth a bet at +400 in the NFL playoff odds?
Cleveland Browns Playoff Odds
| Outcome | Odds |
|---|---|
| Make the playoffs | +400 |
| Miss the playoffs | -650 |
Odds taken Nov. 20.
Browns Have Won Two In A Row
While it hasn’t been pretty by any measure, the Browns have won two in a row and now host Miami – a two-win team – in Week 12. The Browns’ wins could have easily been losses as they escaped the Buffalo Bills with a three-point win and thrived off of four Pittsburgh Steelers’ turnovers in Week 11 to get a 21-7 victory.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has been key to turning things around as he had interceptions in each of the team’s first seven contests and never threw more than a single touchdown in any game. He’s now been turnover-free in back-to-back weeks with two touchdown passes in each game.
Only 7️⃣ Wide Receivers have :
1,000 or ^ Air Yds
35% or ^ MS of Air YdsTheir Touchdown Totals
Mike Evans 7
John Brown 4
Julio Jones 4
Curtis Samuel 4
DeAndre Hopkins 4
Odell Beckham Jr 1️⃣ ?
DJ Chark 8— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) November 19, 2019
While the offense has still been clunky and inconsistent, the wins will bring the Browns confidence. And with an easy upcoming schedule, they could start to look like the team we thought they’d be.
Browns Schedule Could Pave The Way To The Playoffs
One of the reasons why the Browns – at 4-6 – are still even in the playoff conversation is because of what’s in front of them. This week, the Browns will host the Dolphins. Next week, they will visit the Steelers, whom they just defeated. After that, all that’s left is the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens and two matchups with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Let’s say the Browns split their two toughest games with Pittsburgh and Baltimore, but win everything else. If that happens, they can finish the year on a 5-1 run and get to 9-7. Remember, though, that the Browns hammered the Ravens 40-25 in Week 4 and already beat the Steelers 21-7. Maybe they sweep their final six games.
Myles Garrett says his actions that led to the fight between the Steelers and Browns were “foolish.” pic.twitter.com/nfOEf6g3Zn
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 15, 2019
At any rate, if you look at the playoff standings right now, the Houston Texans hold the final AFC Wild Card spot at 6-4 while the Oakland Raiders are tied with the same record, but are in seventh due to tiebreakers. The Browns would need those teams to finish 3-3 or worse to have a shot. It is possible.
What’s The Best Bet?
At this point, I’m not interested in investing in the Browns. Could they finish the year 6-0 or 5-1? Possibly. However, it’s tough to go 4-0 against two divisional foes in a given year. The Ravens are better than they showed in the first meeting and so are the Steelers.
The other factor here is that the Browns just haven’t been very good this season. Could this two-game winning streak signal a turnaround? Of course. However, this team also lost to the Brandon Allen-led Denver Broncos, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Tennessee Titans. It’s not as if they’ve done well against mediocre competition.
Keep in mind that the Browns are also going to be without Myles Garrett due to his helmet-swinging incident. The Browns have 30 sacks as a team but Garrett had 10 of them; he’s a big part of that defense.
Even beyond all of that, if the Browns get to 9-7 or 10-6, they still might not get in. Oakland has an easy schedule and should get at least three wins, with the potential for four or five. Even Houston should get three or four more wins as they still face the Titans twice and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Add it all up and I’ll pass on the Browns making the playoffs. They should finish the season no worse than 4-2 but they’ll need to go 6-0 to make the postseason, and I’m not betting on them to win out.
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
