Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, 11/20/11, 1:00 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: Cleveland -1.5
Current Betting Line: Cleveland -1
Opening Total: 36
Current Total: 34
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Jacksonville is 3-6 on the year and has yet to post consecutive victories, coming off a 17-3 road win over the Indianapolis Colts as three-point favorites. The Jaguars are led offensively by running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who ran for 114 yards last week, sitting fourth in the league with 854 rushing yards. For the squad to potentially make a run at a playoff spot, rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert needs to continue to progress, coming off his most successful contest of the year. Jacksonville is 9-11 ATS on the road the last two-plus years, while the ‘under’ is 11-10 in that span.
The Jaguars have been very pedestrian as an offensive unit this year, ranking 32nd in total yards, while sitting 31st in terms of points scored. Jacksonville tallied a 24-20 win in the last meeting as 2.5-point home favorites last year, out-gaining Cleveland by a 88-yard margin. Sunday will be the fourth year in a row that these two franchise’s have met.
Cleveland has lost five of its last six games and hasn’t scored over 20 points since a 27-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts as one-point road favorites in Week 2. The Browns rank 30th in the league in yards gained and 29th in points scored, as second-year quarterback Colt McCoy simply doesn’t have weapons around him. Running back Peyton Hillis has been out of the lineup for most of the year with a hamstring injury, causing the team to rely upon Chris Ogbonnaya. Cleveland is 1-7 ATS on the year and the ‘under’ is 6-3 in the nine contests overall.
The Browns defense is certainly going to be tested in the trenches Sunday, ranking 30th in the league against the run, facing a Jaguars offense that would like to keep things on the ground with Jones-Drew. Cleveland must take advantage of any opportunities it has in the red zone this week, managing to score just eight touchdowns in 18 trips inside the 20-yard line, which ranks 23rd in the league. Rookie wide receiver Greg Little has been a bright spot offensively, catching 37 passes on the season, which is second amongst all first-year players in the league.
Bettors will likely back the Jaguars due to the road team being 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings, while the Browns are 1-8-2 ATS at home.
Don’t miss out on a winning season and let the NFL handicappers at Maddux Sports line your pockets with cash. Long term packages are available now!
