The Green Bay Packers are looking about as good as anybody in the National Football League right now. There appears to be no reason why they shouldn’t be contending for the Super Bowl.
Their journey toward that continues as they pay a visit to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at 1 PM ET at Huntington Bank Field.
Thus far, the Pack has won with room to spare against two of the NFC’s top teams, the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders. And those opponents have rushed for a total of 97 yards against them.
The Browns haven’t chalked up a win yet, but before being routed 41-17 last week by Baltimore, they got very close against Cincinnati in the season opener.
And 40-year-old Joe Flacco continues to be the starting quarterback for Cleveland, although rookie Dillon Gabriel relieved him against the Ravens.
NFL odds on the Packers-Browns game
The Packers are laying a lot of points on the road against the Browns, according to BetUS:
Green Bay Packers -7.5 (-105)
Cleveland Browns +7.5 (-115)
Over 41.5 Points -110
Under 41.5 Points -110
About the Green Bay Packers
The Packers rank very highly in some defensive categories. They are second against the run, have allowed the third lowest number of first downs and total yards.
This team had a formidable defensive unit last season. They were fifth in total defense and sixth in scoring defense. So they were solid enough that they could get to the playoffs with the offensive weapons they had.
Now, with the addition of Micah Parsons in a trade with Dallas, they have the major playmaker that forces opposing teams to account for on every play.
Jordan Love does a good job at getting the ball down the field; currently he leads the NFL in Intended Air Yards per attempt with 12.5. So he’s doing the opposite of playing a “dink-and-dunk” offense.
About the Cleveland Browns
The Browns have thrown the ball more than any other team in the NFL. They have, in fact, put it in the air 68% of the time. Only one team in the league has scored points on a lower percentage of their drives.
Cleveland has not forced a turnover yet this season, although they have committed four miscues of their own. This represents some of the reason they haven’t won, although of course, it’s early in the campaign.
They had three TO’s against Baltimore and also gave up four touchdown passes from Lamar Jackson. One of those turnovers, a fumble, was run back for a TD.
So who’s going to cover in the Packers-Browns game?
You know, the Packers deserve all the credit in the world. And we don’t know if this is a spot where they take a nap before taking on Dallas next week. We can tell you that this is their first trip as a visitor.
And it comes against a Cleveland defense that has faced two of the better offenses in the NFL, and they’ve allowed a total of only 383 yards. And Baltimore had only 14 first downs against them. Cincinnati got almost no yardage in the second half. Those are good numbers in any man’s league.
Flacco’s “on target” rate is 79%, which is eighth best in the NFL. He’s had a “bad throw” percentage of only 12.3%.
And the Browns may be on their way to addressing that disparity between run and pass. Quinshon Judkins, the second-round pick from Ohio State, did not sign his contract until the day before the season opener, so he didn’t play. But last week he had 61 yards on ten yards. So this offense may look different.
We think this is a good spot to grab the home underdog at a sizable number.
THE PLAY: BROWNS +7.5
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