Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns opened as 3.5-point international underdogs against the Minnesota Vikings ahead of their Week 5 match-up, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. A notable thing is how low the over/under on the game is, as it currently sits at 36.5.
The Browns (1-3) are coming off of another ugly loss that brought out the same bad habits on offense and special teams, falling to the Detroit Lions by a score of 34-10. After an opening drive touchdown gave them a 7-0 lead, Cleveland’s offensive mistakes were plentiful: another mixture of poor offensive line play, Joe Flacco making some bad decisions, and then the receiving unit being the opposite of clutch. The defense, meanwhile, can only shake their head as their effort is wasted.
The Vikings (2-2) are coming off of a 24-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game that was also played overseas. Minnesota was down 24-6 early in the fourth quarter, but went on a 15-0 run and had a shot of making a game of it. They still felt short. Veteran Carson Wentz is likely to start for them again, and although he can deliver some nice throws, he also makes a lot of mistakes and seems like the type of quarterback who the Browns’ defense can either feast on, or shut out.
When you look at Cleveland’s difficulty to score, coupled with how their defense could hold the Vikings in check, it’s no wonder that the over/under is 36.5 for this game. Would it be any surprise if the game ended with a score of 17-14, 20-10, 14-10? None of those scores would even come close to eclipsing the 36.5.
What odds would you take if you were placing a bet?
