Current Records: Baltimore 8-4; Cleveland 6-6
The Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns will face off in an AFC North clash at 1 p.m. ET Dec. 12 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The neutral point spread forecasts a close one for these two.
Baltimore scored first but ultimately less than the Pittsburgh Steelers in their contest last week. The Ravens had victory within their grasp but couldn't quite capture it as the team lost 20-19 to Pittsburgh. Baltimore was their own worst enemy and cost themselves 116 yards in penalties. No one had a standout game offensively for Baltimore, but they got scores from WR Sammy Watkins and RB Devonta Freeman.
Cleveland is out to make up for these teams' game two weeks ago. They were within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 16-10 to Baltimore. Like the Ravens, the Browns didn't have any clear offensive standouts, but they got one touchdown from QB Baker Mayfield.
Since the offense as a whole struggled to get points on the board, Cleveland's defense had to pick up the slack, as it collected four interceptions. Those interceptions were spread across their defensive unit.
Baltimore is now 8-4 while Cleveland sits at 6-6. A couple stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Ravens rank first in the NFL when it comes to rushing yards allowed per game, with only 84.3 on average. But Cleveland enters the matchup with 147.1 rushing yards per game on average, good for third best in the league. These opposing strengths should make for an exciting matchup.
The Browns are a slight 2.5-point favorite against the Ravens, according to the latest NFL odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Browns as a 1.5-point favorite.
Over/Under: -113
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Baltimore have won ten out of their last 13 games against Cleveland.
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