The Cleveland Browns will face off against the Cincinnati Bengals at 1:00 ET on Sunday, December 22nd. This matchup is being played at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

The Browns and Bengals will face off on Sunday, December 22nd at 1:00 ET on CBS. The Bengals are the heavy favorite with a money line of -331, and the point spread favors them at -7. This week 16 AFC North matchup is being played at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, and the over/under line is set at 48 points.

• Date: Sunday, December 22nd
• Time: 1:00 ET
• Location: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati
• TV: CBS

Browns vs Bengals

With a 3-11 record, the Browns sit 4th in the AFC North and 25th in our power rankings. They’ve now lost three straight, including a 21-7 defeat to the Chiefs in week 15. Cleveland was a 4-point underdog in that game, and the 28 combined points fell short of the 41-point line.

Heading into week 16, the Browns have a -8.4 scoring margin and are 4-10 against the spread. They are 0-4 ATS as favorites and 4-6 as underdogs. Their O/U record is 6-8, with the under hitting in two straight.

After a week 13 loss to the Steelers, the Bengals have bounced back with two straight wins, including a 37-27 victory over the Titans in week 15. Cincinnati was a 6-point favorite in this matchup and covered the spread, improving their record to 8-6 ATS this season. They rank 17th in our power rankings and have a +0.9 scoring margin.

Heading into week 16, the Bengals have a 6-8 record and a 6% chance of making the playoffs. They are 3-6 in conference games and 1-3 in the division, putting them 3rd in the AFC North. Cincinnati is 5-3 on the road but just 1-5 at home.

Browns Injury Report

• Luke Wypler – Ankle (Out)
• Dawand Jones – Ankle (Out)
• Cedric Tillman – Concussion (Questionable)
• Brandon Bouyer-Randle – Undisclosed (Out)
• James Hudson III – Shoulder (Out)
• Greg Newsome II – Hamstring (Out)
• David Bell – Hip (Out)
• Alex Wright – Triceps (Out)
• Martin Emerson Jr. – Head (Questionable)
• Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – Neck (Out)
• Hakeem Adeniji – Knee (Out)
• Jedrick Wills Jr. – Knee (Out)
• Nick Harris – Ankle (Out)
• Maurice Hurst II – Ankle (Out)
• Nyheim Hines – Knee (Out)
• Nick Chubb – Broken Foot (Questionable)
• Tony Brown II – Foot (Out)
• Geoff Swaim – Concussion (Out)
• Shelby Harris – Elbow (Questionable)
• Charley Hughlett – Ribs (Out)
• Deshaun Watson – Achilles (Out)
• David Njoku – Hamstring (Questionable)

Bengals Injury Report

• Sheldon Rankins – Illness (Questionable)
• Trent Brown – Knee (Out)
• Cody Ford – Illness (Questionable)
• Sam Hubbard – Knee (Questionable)
• Orlando Brown Jr. – Fibula (Questionable)
• Joe Bachie – Groin (Out)
• Logan Wilson – Knee (Out)
• Zack Moss – Neck (Out)
• D’Ante Smith – Knee (Out)
• Chris Evans – Leg (Out)
• Cam Sample – Achilles (Out)
• Evan McPherson – Undisclosed (Out)
• DJ Turner II – Clavicle (Out)
• Charlie Jones – Groin (Questionable)
• Dax Hill – Knee (Out)
• Jaxson Kirkland – Bicep (Out)
• Lance Robinson – Undisclosed (Out)
• Erick All Jr. – Knee (Out)

Browns Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 16, the Browns’ offense ranks 31st in our power rankings, averaging 17.1 points per game (27th) and 309.6 yards per game (22nd). They lead the NFL in passing attempts but rank 17th in passing yards per game, with 217.5. On the ground, they rank 25th in rushing attempts and 27th in rushing yards per game, with 92.1. Cleveland has struggled on third down, converting just 28.6% of their attempts, which ranks 30th in the league. However, they have been efficient in the red zone, leading the NFL with a 64.3% conversion rate.

Jameis Winston has thrown 8 interceptions over his last three games, including 3 in week 15 against the Chiefs, where he posted a passer rating of 40. He finished 16 of 25 for 146 yards in that game. Jerry Jeudy led the team with 11 catches for 108 yards, while Jerome Ford had 84 rushing yards on 7 carries. Cleveland’s offense was shut out in the first, second, and fourth quarters against Kansas City.

Bengals Offense Breakdown

Joe Burrow has been putting up big numbers for the Bengals, with three straight games of 3 touchdown passes. In week 15, he threw for 271 yards, completing 26 of 37 passes, though he did have 2 interceptions. Before that, he had a 369-yard game against the Cowboys in week 14 and a 309-yard performance in week 13 against the Steelers. Ja’Marr Chase had 9 catches for 94 yards in week 15, following his 177-yard, 2-touchdown game in week 14. Chase Brown rushed for 97 yards on 25 carries in week 15.

Heading into week 16, the Bengals are 5th in the NFL in points per game, averaging 28.5. They lead the league in passing yards per game with 271.4, ranking 3rd in passing attempts. On the ground, they rank 28th in rushing yards per game and 27th in attempts. Cincinnati is 4th in the NFL in 3rd-down conversion percentage but ranks 24th in red zone conversion percentage.

Browns Team Defense

In their 21-7 loss to the Chiefs, the Browns’ defense gave up 132 rushing yards on 35 attempts, but they did limit Kansas City to 4.5 yards per pass attempt. The Browns allowed just 179 passing yards on 21 completions, with two touchdowns and 311 total yards. They also held the Chiefs to a 38.9% conversion rate on third down.

Cleveland’s defense struggled to generate pressure, as they didn’t record any sacks and lost the tackles for loss differential by -3. Despite this, they did win the quarterback hit battle, finishing with +1 compared to the Chiefs.

Bengals Team Defense

In their 37-27 win over the Titans, the Bengals’ defense gave up 291 passing yards on 29 completions. Despite allowing 76.3% of passes to be completed, they came up with four interceptions. Tennessee managed just 83 rushing yards on 26 attempts, and Cincinnati defended the pass well, giving up 7.7 yards per attempt. However, the Bengals did allow two passing touchdowns and struggled on third downs, allowing the Titans to convert 62.5% of their third down chances. The Bengals’ defense was only able to generate one sack in the game.

Browns vs Bengals Trends

• Across the Browns last five road games, the team averaged 17 points per game while allowing 31. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 1-4, while going 0-5 straight-up.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, Cincinnati has an ATS record of 4-1 while averaging 29 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
• Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Browns have a straight up record of 1-4. Their record vs the spread in these games was 1-4.
• The Bengals have played well in their last five games as the betting favorite, going 3-2 straight up and 3-2 against the spread.

Browns vs Bengals Prediction

Our model has the Browns coming out on top by a score of 29-24 in their matchup against the Bengals. With the point spread sitting at +7 in favor of the Browns, we like them to not only win but also cover as road underdogs. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of the line and get some action on this week 16 matchup.

As for the over/under, with the line at 48 points, we have these teams combining for 53 points, making the over a strong play in this one.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.