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Week 13 of NFL Monday Night Football will see the Cleveland Browns travel to take on the Denver Broncos. Bodog has the Broncos as -6.0 favorites at the time of writing this. It truly is a story of a team performing well below expectations, taking on a team that may be a step ahead of schedule.
Cleveland has to be one of the most disappointing teams, especially when compared to preseason expectations. Wasn’t their defense supposed to be scary? 23rd in average points against is not that. Surely the QB with the most guaranteed money before Dak Prescott, DeShaun Watson, could work some magic with some decent pieces around him? Nope, people are actually happy to see QB Jameis Winston come in with DeShaun going to the IR. Averaging under 17 points a game while allowing over 24 is not going to cut it.
The Denver Broncos have been a pleasant surprise, and perhaps in parts to low expectations. Currently at 7-5, the Broncos are still in the hunt for a wild card spot. The defense is undoubtedly the star of their team, ranking 3rd in overall defense, and 2nd in average points against, heading into the week. They may have the 23rd ranked overall offense, but rookie QB Bo Nix has looked promising, with 16 TDs, and only 6 INTs, on the season.
The Browns are certainly in tough, Denver has a 12.6 point advantage in the average scoring margin column, and an even more impressive 24.3 point advantage over the last 3. Both sides of the ball will have to be on point for the Browns to cover this spread, but it’s not like the Denver offense is amazing. If Jameis Winston can limit the turnovers, and the defense can have a stellar game, these would be two huge points of emphasis for me if I was in that Cleveland locker room.
Howe Fresh
Fresh Takes Sports Podcast
