After three years of being ignored, the Cleveland Browns are finally getting some respect again from the oddsmakers in Las Vegas.
In the early odds for Week 16, the Browns have opened as a 7-point favorite over the Bengals, which is a huge number for Cleveland. The point spread marks the first time since November 2014 that the Browns have been favored by seven or more points. It will also mark just the ninth time overall that the Browns have been favored by a touchdown or more since they came back as an expansion team in 1999.
In the eight games where the Browns have been favored by seven or more points, they’ve gone 5-3 straight-up and 3-5 against the spread (ATS)…
Buccaneers (5-9) at Cowboys (8-6)
TV: 1 p.m., Fox
Opening line: Cowboys, -7 points
The Cowboys have been one of the best home teams in the NFL this year. Not only are they 6-1 straight-up in Dallas, but they’re also 5-2 ATS, which is the fifth-best home mark in the NFL this year. The Cowboys have also covered in five of their past six games. One thing the Cowboys have also done well is cover large point spreads. In the past five games where the Cowboys have been favored by a touchdown or more, they’ve gone 5-0 straight-up and 4-1 ATS. As for the Bucs, although they’ve been struggling on the road (1-6), they have managed to cover the spread, going 3-3-1 ATS in those seven games. The Bucs are also 3-1-1 ATS in their past five games (3-1 ATS since Jameis Winston got his starting job back in Week 12).
