And the answer, much as it may shock and dismay Indy sports betting fans, is the Colts. This does not, mind you, so much speak well of the Cleveland Browns as it does, you know, speak ill of the Indianapolis Colts. The Browns opened as road faves last in Week 7 of the 2014 season, both losing the game and failing to cover the spread against the Niners. Cleveland is, in fact, 5-10 SU and 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games as favorites.
Significant. https://t.co/b0AfgSIvj9
— Andrew Gribble (@Andrew_Gribble) September 18, 2017
- Date: Sunday, 24th September
- Time: 1:05 PM
- Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
Sportsbook Odds:
Browns -1 (-115) 40 (-107)
Colts +1 (-105) 40 (-113)
From moral to actual victories
The Browns are, as most expected, down in the proverbial 0-2 hole, but the good news is that they have not, in either loss, completely stunk up the joint. It’s tough, if not downright impossible, to foretell how the Browns will react to their newfound favoritism. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Cleveland has the fewest games, nine, as a road favorite in the last 20 seasons but the highest cover percentage, 78%, as a road favorite in that period. On the other hand, Cleveland is 5-13 ATS since the start of 2016 – the worst of any team in the league. Similarly, the Browns are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 games, and 0-4-1 ATS in their last five road games, but are 4-1 ATS in their last five games versus the Colts. Indy’s offense allowed the Rams, of all teams, 46 points in week 1, but Cleveland turned over the ball on five occasions to the Ravens on Sunday, so it’s pretty much a toss-up as to which will cover the sports betting spread.
The Colts are officially S.O.L
Oddsmakers are, once again, not so much buying into Deshone Kizer’s hype as they are not taking the bait anymore for the Colts Peter-and-the-Wolf claims that X week will be the week when Andrew Luck starts again (and even if he did, he’d be worlds removed from being game-ready). As such, the Browns will prepare for former Patriot Jacoby Brissett, who took over from Scotty Tolzien and could have had his first win as a Colt had he not thrown a pick in overtime against the Cardinals on Sunday.
Brissett completing 20-of-37 passes for 216 yards. “In tight games like this, which most of them are in the National Football League, you’ve got to put teams away and you’ve got to score touchdowns in the red area,” head coach Chuck Pagano said via Colts.com. “But I’m encouraged. … There are no moral victories. We are 0-2 and it is what it is. We’ll go back to work tomorrow and keep working to get better and find a way to win a game and come back and come back at home.” Both the colts and the Browns have a habit lately of going under the total and, given each team’s shortcomings on both ends of the ball, sports betting aficionados should not set their sights on a different outcome this time around.