The Cleveland Browns will attempt to win their first game of the 2016/17 season this Sunday, October 9th when they host the New England Patriots at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The big story of the week will be the return of Patriots’ starting quarterback Tom Brady after sitting out a four-game suspension to start the year. The Patriots managed to go 3-1 without him and own first place in the AFC East. They were upset by the Buffalo Bills 16-0 at home last week though. Cleveland enters the game at 0-4 after dropping a 31-20 decision in Washington last weekend and are in last place in the AFC North. The Browns are also the only NFL club without a win under their belt so far this season. The Patriots are hoping to rebound after being shutout for the first time at Gillette Stadium.
Here’s a closer look at the odds, betting trends and pre-game summary for the Patriots vs Browns matchup:
Patriots vs Browns: Pinnacle NFL Betting Line:
- Pinnacle lists New England at -10.5 points at -100 with the Browns +10.5 points at -110, the over is 46.5 points at -107 with the under at -103, New England is favored outright at -470 and the Chiefs are +400
Patriots vs Browns Betting Trends:
New England Patriots:
- Season record: 3-1 SU, 3-1 ATS
- The Patriots are 19-6 SU in their last 25 games
- The Patriots are 9-4 SU in their last 13 games on the road
- The Patriots are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games on the road
- The Patriots are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of New England’s last 6 games when playing Cleveland
- The Patriots are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland Browns:
- Season record: 0-4 SU, 1-3 ATS
- Current Streak: lost 4 straight games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cleveland’s last 9 games
- The Browns are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games
- The Browns are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cleveland’s last 9 games at home
- The Browns are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games at home
- The Browns are 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 games at home
- The Browns are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games when playing New England
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland’s last 6 games when playing New England
- The Browns are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing New England
New England Patriots – A Closer Look:
Tom Brady returns to the lineup on Sunday and he’s getting an easy touch in the Browns. The Patriots were somewhat embarrassed by Buffalo 16-0 at home in their last outing in their first defeat of the season. Brady will be facing a Cleveland defense which is ranked 27th in the league by allowing an average of 18.5 points against per game. The Browns are also 22nd when it comes to total defense as they give up an average of 378 yards an outing. New England is hoping that Brady’s return will spark tight end Rob Gronkowski into having a breakout contest.
Gronkowski gained just 11 yards against the Bills by catching a lone pass in the game and is expected to do quite a bit better against the Browns. The New England defense didn’t fare too well against Buffalo as it was hit for a total of 378 total yards. New England’s backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett will now have to play the waiting game as Brady returns to the fold. The Patriots have gone 3-1 ATS so far this season.
Cleveland Browns – A Closer Look:
The Browns dropped their game against Washington 31-20 thanks to a trio of turnovers. Quarterback Cody Kessler finished the game by going 28 for 40 in passing for 223 yards with an interception and a touchdown pass. Kessler had a decent outing, but Cleveland’s receiving corps are quite thin with Gary Barnidge and Terrelle Pryor being the best of the bunch. Barnidge and Pryor could cause a few problems for the New England secondary as Barnidge caught seven passes last week for 57 yards and Pryor has racked up 190 receiving yards in the past pair of contests.
Believe it or not, the Browns possess the NFL’s best running game at the moment with an average of 149.2 yards on the ground each week. The team depends on Isaiah Crowell to lead the way in that department and the Patriots will need to watch him closely. Crowell’s 96.5 yards per game on average means he’s ranked second in the league when it comes to rushing. The Browns have gone 2-0 ATS in their last two encounters with New England.
Next up for both teams:
- New England home to Cincinnati Sunday, October 16
- Cleveland at Tennessee Sunday, October 16
By Ian Palmer