Chicago Bears (7-6 SU, 3-9-1 ATS) vs. Cleveland Browns (4-9 SU, 6-7ATS)
NFL Week 15
Date and Time: Sunday December 15m 2013 1pm EST
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium
TV: FOX
by Tim, Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: Chi. +1.5/Cle. -1.5
Over/Under Total: 43.5
Chicago strolls into Cleveland, Ohio fresh off a surprising destruction of the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football 45-28. Though December collapses in Dallas are as common as 4-wheel drives and bouffant hair, Chicagos annihilation of Dallas in PrimeTime issued a clarion call announcing The Bears are now open for business! Cleveland needed a couple game-ending miracle plays to lose in Foxborough last Sunday against the All we do is WIN Patriots 27-26. Both teams appear confident and highly competitive preparing for play in the bottom of an ice chest that is; Cleveland, Ohio! Lets grade these teams out and see who has a real shot at the so cold it could snap toes like pencils Lake Erie Bowl!
We dont need no stinkin Jay Cutler is the battle cry around the City with Big Attitude Problem. Lets not go too crazy around Chicago just yetMcCownmore or less—has taken over for Cutler since Week 11 and has led the Bears to win over the Ravens, back-to-back losses against the Rams and Vikings, and the most recent win over the Cowboys. Son, a .500 winning percentage and a degree from Sam Houston State is no way to go through life! Sure, McCown looked great against the Cowboys throwing for over 340 yards and 4 TDs. But that performance was against the undisputed Worst Defensive in the NFL! Against the Rams 2 weeks earlier, McCown had virtually the exact same numbers (340 and 3 TDs) and St. Louis ran the Bears out of the building (42-21)! Last week McCown threw for 355 and 3 TDs and the Vikings won in OT! What was the difference? First, the Vikes and Rams have better overall defenses than the Cowboys and Chicago fumbled the ball 4 times combined in those games. McCown is a Mai Tai when youre tired of drinking Jack D straightflavor of the month. On Monday Night against the Cowboys, fans and journalists just happened to be sippin a Mai Tai when Fernanda Lima came by in a string bikiniMcCown is window dressing for a paycheck-to-paycheck department store and the Cowboys are the minimum coverage string bikini!
Cleveland has really hustled this year. NO ONE expected the Brownies to be anything other than thrown out leftovers in 2013 and the Browns have shown bucket a litany of desire and pride on the field. The Browns were Kiffined around Baaaaston over the weekend but had complete control of the game right up untilthey lost control (last 4 minutes). The Browns defense is 7th in the NFL in total yards against, 3rd in net yards per pass against, 4th in total rushing yards allowed, and 2nd in rushing TDs against. Not too bad for a 4-9 ballclub! Surprisingly, the Browns are absolutely pathetic running the ball sitting 28th in yards rushing for and 30th in rushing TDs, but the Browns are 10th in passing yards for, 9th in passing TDs, and 25th in Interceptions. With a couple of breaks, the Browns could easily be 6-7 or 7-6.
The Browns are 3-4 Against the Spread at home in 2013. Chicago is 1-4 ATS in their last five and 1-4 against the spread in their last five road games. Chicago is 1-4 straight up in their last five road games. Cleveland has lost straight up 7 out of the last 8 games. Chicago has a +0.62 scoring differential in their last 13. Cleveland has a -5.15 scoring differential in 2013 (last 13). Clevelands defense is much better against the rush than Chicago giving up 60 yards less per game while allowing around the same amount of passing yards. Home field advantage in Cleveland is a little stronger than the average for NFL teams allowing the Browns an additional +2 point advantage. The Bears are a little stronger in my power rankings with a +3.15 advantage. The prediction is Josh McCown will have a less than stellar day while the Browns nip and tuck the Bears defense into a virtual stalemate. Cleveland is 22nd in offensive turnovers in the NFL while Chicago sits in 5th position. 64% of Chicagos turnovers happen on the road. Erasing the Jacksonville loss and playing outside of their division, Cleveland has committed 2 turnovers at home since week 1. Chicago puts the ball on the turf and the Browns capitalize and cover as home favorites.
Tims Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Cleveland Browns -1.5
