Cleveland Browns (0-13 SU, 2-10 ATS) vs. Buffalo Bills (6-6 SU, 5-7 ATS)
NFL Week 15
Date/Time: Sunday, December 18th 2016 1:00 EST
Where: New Era Stadium Buffalo, NY
TV: CBS
by Keith, Expert Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: CLE +10/BUF -10
Over/Under Total: 41.5
Its essential do or die for both teams in this one, in a multitude of capacities. This will be a pivotal clash between the AFC Norths Cleveland Browns and the AFC Easts Buffalo Bills will square off at Ralph Wilson Stadium with a 1:00 PM ET scheduled kick-off. The game is set to be televised on CBS in specific regional markets. Both teams enter on losing notions. For Cleveland, they have yet to win a game this season and were nowhere near close last Sunday when they hosted the Cincinnati Bengals. For the Bills they come in off a loss while curating the hosting duties against the invading Pittsburgh Steelers. In the last eight meetings between both sides, the Bills and Brownies both own four wins a side.
In the early going, we have seen a heavy lean on the BIlls, likely as a reaction to what was witnessed last week with Cleveland falling yet again. However, in spite of the Bills getting bullied in their own backyard by Pittsburgh, this team is spotting over double-digit points to the invading Browns. This coming after the Bills defense was once again exposed by a Pittsburgh offense that made a fair amount of mistakes in the snowy tundra of Upstate New York. The Bills are 1-7 ATS in their last eight, failing to cover in three consecutive occasions. For the Browns, we know what streak they are currently riding but they are also 0-10 in their last ten against the spread.
The Buffalo Bills have put together a campaign this season that should alert any taker as to why they are spotting so many points. The Bills continue to look more and more like the team that embarked upon a three-game losing streak in the early stages of the regular season. The Bills remain an outlier as a wildcard contender in spite of Week 13s events and seemingly on paper this is a contest where the Bills can pencil in a seventh win and keep their playoff hopes alive against the abysmal Cleveland Browns. Despite Cleveland throwing fits offensively, the Bills defense continues to give up more points than their offense can afford to make up. The Bills have given up at least twenty points in six of their last seven contests overall. Buffalo is also currently riding a two-game losing streak as well.
The Browns are a virtual lock for the #1 Draft Pick of the NFL Draft as they are now just three losses away from tying a record no team wants to hit. The Browns are three losses away from a winless season, a new low set by the Detroit Lions just a handful of years ago. The Browns have been defeated thirteen games this season and as we had said previously if hope was not already killed, the Browns have certainly buried it. The last time the Browns came close to a win was against the Giants cross-town and intra-stadium rival New York Jets seven weeks ago where their offense managed to get 28 points but they could not hold off Gang Green, falling by a score of 31-28. Since then the Browns have been pummeled by every opponent they have come across. This team has lost by at least two touchdowns in every game they have lost since the Jets encounter. To make matters worse, the Browns have been a disastrous play for any taker as they are just 2-11 ATS on the season, failing to cover in their last ten.
The bottom line is this, the Bills should not be spotting this amount of points given the fact they were just beaten down at home by the Pittsburgh Steelers. One would expect the market to be far less compensating for the Bills after such a defeat. However, this is likely books trying to get some action on the Browns because obviously their record speaks for itself. With this being said, the only way the numbers will work out to a 50/50 proposition by any stretch is an inflated number for the Browns who have since capsized long ago. While Cleveland may in fact finish 0-16, there is more value here taking the points than laying them with the Bills who have been extremely volatile in their own right in their last eight outings.
KEITHs Pick to Cover the Point Spread: CLEVELAND +10
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