Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns NFL Betting prediction

NFL Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns Prediction 8/17

With the point spread sitting at -3 in favor of the Browns, this week two pre-season matchup is a good one to keep an eye on. The Browns are the favorite, and our current lines have them sitting at -156 on the money line. This one is set to kick off at 4:25 ET on Saturday, August 17th at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, OH.

  • Date: Saturday, August 17th
  • Time: 4:25 ET
  • Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland
  • TV: None

Vikings vs Browns

minnesota vikings nfl

Heading into the 4th quarter, the Vikings were down 20-7 to the Raiders. However, they made a big comeback and pulled out a 24-23 win in this pre-season week one matchup. Our Vikings’ point spread pick was to take the Vikings to cover, as they were +3 point underdogs, and they ended up winning this one by one point.

Even though the Vikings were down 20-7 at halftime, they came out and had a big 3rd quarter, scoring 14 points and taking the lead 21-20 heading into the 4th quarter. After the Raiders took a 23-21 lead with 9:45 left in the 4th, the Vikings capped off their comeback with a touchdown and a 3-23 win.

After being 5.5-point favorites heading into their week one pre-season matchup against the Packers, the Browns are now 0-1 following a 23-10 loss. Our pick vs the spread was to take the Browns to cover, but with a 13-point loss, they didn’t come close to covering the spread.

As for the over/under, the line was 38.5 points, and with the Browns and Packers combining for just 33 points, the under was the right pick.

Heading into the 4th quarter, the Browns were trailing 23-3 before finally finding the endzone and finishing with a 13-point defeat.

Vikings Injury Report

  • T.J. Hockenson – Knee (Out)
  • NaJee Thompson – Undisclosed (Out)
  • Mekhi Blackmon – Knee (acl) (Out)
  • DeWayne McBride – Undisclosed (Out)

Browns Injury Report

  • Greg Newsome II – Hamstring (Out)
  • Jedrick Wills Jr. – Knee (Out)
  • Nyheim Hines – Knee (Out)
  • Nick Chubb – Knee (Out)
  • Jack Conklin – Knee (Out)
  • Dalvin Tomlinson – Knee (Out)
  • D’Anthony Bell – Shin (Out)

Vikings Offense Breakdown

The Vikings’ offense finished with 18 first downs and 310 yards passing in their 24-23 win over the Raiders. They really found success through the air, finishing with 310 yards on 41 attempts and 142 yards on the ground.

J.J. McCarthy threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns, leading the team in passing. He finished with 11 completions on 17 attempts. Trishton Jackson was a big-play threat, leading the team with 100 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Browns Offense Breakdown

cleveland browns

The Browns’ offense really struggled to get anything going in their most recent game vs. the Packers, finishing with just 188 yards passing and no touchdowns. To make matters worse, they were only able to muster 56 yards on the ground, averaging just 2.7 yards per attempt.

Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was under constant pressure, as he was sacked three times and finished with 134 yards passing. He completed 14 of 18 passes (77%) and ended the game without throwing any interceptions.

Vikings Team Defense

In the Vikings’ 24-23 win over the Raiders, their defense was really strong on third down, holding Las Vegas to just a 31.2% conversion rate. They also came up with four sacks and held the Raiders to 120 rushing yards on 37 attempts.

Against the pass, the Vikings allowed just 188 yards and 14 completions, with the Raiders finishing with 16 first downs. Minnesota’s run defense was key, allowing just 5 rushing first downs.

Browns Team Defense

In their most recent game, the Browns’ defense gave up 155 rushing yards on 4.6 yards per attempt, finishing with 18 first downs allowed and 220 yards through the air. Despite this, they were unable to slow down the Packers’ rushing attack, which finished with 155 yards on 34 attempts.

The Browns’ defense did have some success in generating pressure, finishing with one sack and winning the tackles for loss battle. However, they struggled to get off the field on third down, allowing the Packers to convert 57.1% of their third downs. Additionally, the Browns allowed one passing touchdown and 17 completions in the 23-10 loss.

Vikings vs Browns Trends

  • When looking at their past three road matchups, Minnesota has an ATS record of 0-1-2 while averaging 15 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
  • Through their last three home contests, the Browns offense has averaged 21 points per game while allowing an average of 32. Cleveland posted an overall record of 1-2 while going 1-2 ATS.
  • Spanning across their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Vikings have gone 4-4-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 3-7.
  • As the betting favorite, the Browns have an ATS record of 2-1 in their last three games. In these matchups, their straight up record was 2-1.

Vikings vs Browns Prediction

Our pick vs. the spread for this Vikings vs. Browns pre-season matchup is to take the Browns to cover as home favorites. The point spread is currently sitting at -3 in favor of the Vikings, but we have the Browns winning by a score of 24-19.

For an over/under pick, we like taking the over, with a projected combined score of 43 points and the O/U line sitting at 37.5 points.


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


* 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.