It may only be Week 2 but the majority of football betting sites agree on one thing; the Cleveland Browns season is practically over. Cleveland’s expectations weren’t terribly high for 2016 but with the way they’ve been playing it doesn’t seem like they’ll be accomplishing any of their goals for the year. Coming off a 3-13 season one would think that the franchise’s goals would be fairly easy to accomplish, but looking down the road it’s hard to find 4 teams the current Browns could beat. For the last decade Cleveland has been hindered by its lack of talent at the quarterback position, and while they thought they found their answer in RGIII, a couple of injuries have left more questions than answers.
Robert Griffin III was injured in the Browns loss to the Eagles in Week 1. The dual-threat quarterback was often criticized for being too reckless when he played for the Redskins. In fact Hue Jackson, the Browns’ head coach, made public demands to Griffin for him to learn how to slide at the end of his runs. However the coach’s warning were not enough to prevent his starting quarterback from getting injured and now Griffin has found himself on the injured reserve list. Josh McCown was brought in to help carry the offense against the Ravens. Unfortunately he too would end up suffering an injury, this one to his non-throwing shoulder. But McCown had too much heart to let himself come off the field and he decided to finish out the game against the Ravens. His efforts would prove be in vain however, as the Ravens came back from a 20-point deficit to win the game 25-20. The game would end on a McCown interception, but his postgame comments would be the highlight of the match.
“I got a dad and an older brother who I know get up and go to work and sometimes they don’t feel great, and they go and they grind.” McCown stated after the loss. “And I got two little boys that – they’re playing football now – and they get hit and get banged up and I’m trying to teach them what toughness means. So, for me, it’s those things”
McCown’s comments came in response to a question regarding his decision to stay in the game after suffering an injury. In a day and age were insincerity runs rampant, it is heartwarmingly refreshing to see such a humble response in the media. Many of us are moved by McCown’s statements, and if an NFL team had half the heart the veteran quarterback does then they’d be moved to the top of the best football betting sites. McCown will not likely be starting in the Browns Week 3 matchup against the Dolphins, due to his injury. In his absence the Browns will likely start Cody Kessler, a rookie out of USC. Both the Dolphins and the Browns are winless so far in 2016, what do the online NFL betting odds have to say about this contest?
Week 3 – Sunday the 25th of September
Browns +10 (-115) 41 ½ (-110)
Dolphins -10 (-105) 41 ½ (-110)
Miami seems like a logical pick over the Browns and most football betting sites are going to have the Dolphins listed as the favorites. You don’t see too many betting lines featuring a 10-point spread, but that’s to be expected when facing Cleveland. Offensively the Dolphins can move the ball relatively well as they’re averaging 354.5 yards per game. But Miami’s real problem is the inability to convert yards into points considering the Dolphins are averaging just 17 points per contest. If they’re unable to beat that average it’s unlikely that Miami will be beating the spread and Cleveland might be a better pick ATS.
