DENVER (3-3) AT CLEVELAND (3-3)
TV: NFL, Fox, Amazon, 8:20 p.m.
Line: Cleveland by 2; O/U: 41
No team needs a bye week more than the banged-up Browns. Instead, the franchise that is still waiting to catch its first break must play on Thursday night. Have you seen Cleveland’s injury report? It’s longer than one of those receipts you get at CVS.
For starters, Case Keenum will start at quarterback after Baker Mayfield was declared out after aggravating his torn labrum on Sunday. Then there’s the running game: Nick Chubb was ruled out after the team placed Kareem Hunt on injured reserve. Odell Beckham Jr. (remember him?) is dealing with a shoulder injury, and the list goes on and on ... and on and on.
The line opened at Browns -6 and kept dropping, so there is some value in picking the home team. It’s not as if the Broncos instill much confidence, either. After a very misleading 3-0 start against the Giants, Jaguars and Jets, they’ve lost three in a row to the Ravens, Steelers and Raiders.
Both teams are also 3-3 against the spread. They enter off bad losses on Sunday: Cleveland, a 37-14 humbling defeat at home to unbeaten Arizona; Denver, a 34-24 home loss against a Las Vegas team dealing with a controversy. The Browns’ defense is also hurting and has allowed 84 points over the last two weeks.
With the Browns’ injury woes and the Broncos’ skid, this feels as if the best play would be taking the under. Cleveland, when healthy, is the better team. But the Browns are nowhere near full strength. If they rallied around Keenum, it wouldn't shock me, but the safer play is to go with the healthier visitors.
The pick: Denver
