On the heels of consecutive losses, the Cleveland Browns return home to Ohio this weekend looking to recapture some stability and get back in the win column as they prepare for back-to-back home games against sub-.500 teams, beginning with the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. The Browns have one of the toughest schedules to close out the season with four of their final five games against either the Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers, making these sports betting wins even more crucial if they are going to finish with a respectable record.
St. Louis Rams @ Cleveland Browns
Sunday November 13, 2011 – 1:00 PM ET
Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
NFL Betting Lines: Cleveland Browns – 3
While the Browns were at the .500 mark just two weeks ago, the Rams will never get close to there after six straight losses to open their season. St. Louis surprised the NFL with a 31-21 win over the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago, and then forced overtime against the Arizona Cardinals before eventually losing, but they could be running out of steam with a fatigued team dealing with a ton of injuries.
Rams Browns Betting Preview: St. Louis Rams
When healthy, the Rams have the personnel to at least be competitive in the NFC West, something that they proved by competing for the division title until the final day of last season. Sam Bradford was able to play last week against the Cardinals and kept it close with 255 yards passing, but it had to hurt that he was outplayed by Arizona backup John Skelton. Running back Stephen Jackson is still a monster and rushed for 130 yards on 29 carries last Sunday, so he should have a big performance against the league’s 30th ranked rush defense. The problem is that the Rams’ are even worse against the run, and will be in tough to stop whoever lines up for the Browns with the 32nd ranked rush-stop units.
Rams Browns Betting Preview: Cleveland Browns
The Browns’ running game won’t be at full strength without Peyton Hillis in the lineup, and considering that Chris Ogbonnaya averaged just 2.2 yards per carry and had a lost fumbled against the Houston Texans last week, they will need to find a spark. Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy continues to make improvements both with his decision-making and accuracy, but he is still prone to inconsistent outings. Cleveland’s defense is ranked first in the NFL against the pass, but that has more to do with the fact that team’s prefer to run on them than anything else. They should be able to load the box this week to stop Jackson, and force Bradford to beat them through the air.
Rams Browns Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick
The Browns opened with a split of their first six games, but that shouldn’t have been a surprise as this team can be competitive when healthy. Hillis is likely out for at least one more week, which hurts, but they do have enough weapons that they should be able to return home on a positive note this sportsbook Sunday.
Rams Browns Betting Pick: Cleveland Browns