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Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns odds, picks and predictions
By Kevin Erickson,
2 days ago
The Minnesota Vikings (1-0) and the Cleveland Browns (0-1) meet in Week 2 of the NFL preseason at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET (NFL+). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Vikings vs. Brownsodds, and make our expert NFL picks and predictions.
The Vikings picked up a 24-23 victory at the buzzer, as PK Will Reichard booted a 38-yard field goal to top the Las Vegas Raiders. While rookie QB JJ McCarthy piled up 188 passing yards and 2 TD in his debut. However, he suffered a torn right meniscus which requires surgery, so he is sidelined indefinitely.
The Vikings allowed 161 return yards to the Raiders, so special teams will be an area to watch. Minnesota committed 4 penalties, too, while going 0-for-2 in red-zone efficiency, so those are areas it will want to clean up.
The Browns lost 23-10 against the Green Bay Packers, allowing a 65-yard TD pass in the 1st 82 seconds. The Browns fell behind 23-3 before striking for their only TD with 5:08 left, as the reserves got the score. Cleveland was limited to just 56 rushing yards, and 188 passing yards. But, it did pile up 135 return yards, so it could find open spaces against Minnesota to set up favorable starting field position.
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Moneyline (ML): Vikings +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | Browns -165 (bet $165 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Vikings +3 (-115) | Browns -3 (-105)
Over/Under (O/U): 34.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Vikings at Browns picks and predictions
Prediction
Browns 18, Vikings 16
The Browns (-165) will set you back more than 1 1/2 times your potential return if you want to bet them straight up, and that’s way too much risk with not enough reward.
It’s uncertain how much Cleveland will play its starters. And if you’re considering the Vikings (+140), who looked sharp on offense last week, remember that McCarthy was under center when they scored 14 of the team’s 24 points. He isn’t there this week.
AVOID.
The VIKINGS +3 (-115) is a solid play catching the 3 and a hook. The hook is key, as this should be a rather tight, low-scoring affair. The Vikings saw their game come down to a last-second field goal, with the contest decided by a single point.
The Browns -3.5 (-115) were rather listless on offense last week, as the reserves just weren’t equal to the task against several Green Bay starters. We should see a better effort, and potentially more of Kevin Stefanski’s starters on the field, but based on Week 1, go with the visitors.
UNDER 34.5 (-105) might be the most solid play on the board. Of course, it was better earlier in the week when the line was 36.5.
The struggles on special teams for the Vikings, and the success the Browns had last week, is a bit of a concern. Cleveland could set itself up for good field position.
However, Minnesota will be without McCarthy, who led the Vikings to most of their success on offense last week. And, the Vikings were still 0-for-2 in red-zone efficiency. Look for a game where both teams are in the teens for point totals.
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