Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
Over/Under: 49
Kickoff: 10:00 a.m. PT
TV: CBS
When the 2019 season is all said and done, there’s no doubt Lamar Jackson’s meteoric ascension will be remembered most, serving as the campaign’s most compelling storyline. Whether or not he and the Ravens can finish it off with a world championship remains to be seen.
In the meantime, Baltimore can continue to steamroll its opponents. They enter today’s divisional clash riding a 10-game winning streak, pasting their opponents by an average of 18 points (!!) during this span. This even after a 2-2 start.
Enter the Browns, who actually handed the AFC’s current No. 1 seed its most recent loss back in Week 4. Not only that, Cleveland beat them pretty good (in an over we had), emerging victorious 40-25. And so therein lies a blueprint for how the rematch will pan out.
First of all, Baker Mayfield was tremendous in that game. The former No. 1 overall draft pick tossed a season-high 342 yards through the air on 20-of-30 (66.7 percent) passing.
That continued Mayfield’s exceptional work opposite the Ravens since entering the league a year ago. Though it’s only three games, the numbers have been massive enough to take note of. In all, Mayfield tallied a whopping 1,060 yards in the three meetings.
Add in the fact that it’s the home finale for the Browns and I expect to see this high-powered offense firing on all cylinders. There’s just too much talent and pride for them to roll over in their last contest in front of Cleveland faithful, and technically, they’re still mathematically alive (albeit highly, highly unlikely) for a playoff berth.
So, that’s pretty much the key right there. A Browns offense living up to its potential and at least hanging around to counter Baltimore’s tendency for placing crooked numbers on the scoreboard.
Given the roll Jackson has been on, it’s hard to envision the Browns having their way with the league’s highest-scoring offensive unit. Plus, like his counterpart, Jackson also fared well in the first encounter this year between these two clubs, completing 24-of-34 (70.6 percent) throws en route to connecting on three touchdowns (and a pair of picks). Play: OVER 49 (-110)
Last Week’s Result: Broncos-Chiefs Over 44 (loss)
This Week So Far: Bills-Patriots Over 37 (WIN)
Zylbert’s 2019 NFL Over/Under Betting Record*: 10-8, +0.5 unit
*Each bet graded as if it were to win 1 unit