Cleveland Browns (6-9) vs. Washington Commanders (7-7-1)
January 1, 2023 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: Washington Commanders -2.5 / Cleveland Browns +2.5; Over/Under: 40.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Cleveland Browns and the Washington Commanders meet Sunday in NFL action from FedExField. Cleveland is 6-9 overall this year and coming off a loss to the Saints. As for Washington, they’re sitting at 7-7-1 on the season. The Commanders lost to the 49ers in their last game. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.
Cleveland has managed wins over the Panthers, Steelers, Bengals, Buccaneers, Texans and Ravens so far this year. The Browns’ nine losses have come versus the Jets, Falcons, Chargers, Patriots, Ravens, Dolphins, Bills, Bengals and Saints.
On Saturday versus the Saints, Cleveland had a 10-3 lead going into the second half. The Browns gave up 14 points in the third and ended up losing 17-10. Deshawn Watson posted 135 yards with a pick, and Nick Chubb managed 92 yards on 24 carries.
Over on the Commanders’ side, they’ve got a December 4 tie versus the Giants in the books, as well as losses to the Lions, Eagles, Cowboys, Titans, Vikings, Giants and 49ers. The wins have come versus the Jaguars, Bears, Packers, Colts, Eagles, Texans and Falcons.
In their matchup versus the 49ers on Saturday, the Commanders had a 7-7 tie going into the third quarter. Washington was outscored from there 30-13 and fell 37-20. Taylor Heinicke posted 166 yards with two scores, and Brian Robinson rushed 22 times for 58 yards.
The Browns are 4-1 ATS in the last five after a straight-up loss and 1-5 ATS versus a team with a losing record. The under is 5-0 in Cleveland’s last five overall.
Meanwhile, the Commanders are 4-0 ATS versus a team with a losing record and 1-5 ATS in the last six after an ATS loss. Washington is 1-5 ATS in their last six in Week 17.
PICK: I’ll probably stick with Washington in this one. The Commanders have had a couple of very encouraging runs so far this year. That said, Washington has stumbled over their last three games, going 0-2-1. The Commanders haven’t been very reliable on the scoreboard lately either; they’ve passed 27 points just once in their last 13 games.
As for Cleveland, they posted another lackluster performance against New Orleans with 249 total yards and just 15 first downs. The Browns have also been sketchy on the scoreboard recently with just 33 combined points over their last three games. All things considered this should be a pretty competitive matchup, and I like Washington to eke out the cover/win.
