After a resounding victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the 8-5 Browns prepare to welcome the Chicago Bears to Cleveland for a game in which they will once again be favored.German Spencer December 11, 2023, 6:00 a.m.
ESTThe Browns made a statement in Week 14 by beating one of the AFC’s best teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars, to move closer to the playoffs at 8-5.
However, there’s no rest for the weary when it comes to December football, and Cleveland is at it again next week, staying home to face Justin Fields and the 5-8 Chicago Bears on weekday 15.
According to SI Sportsbook, the Browns open the week as 3.5-point favorites against the Bears. Immediately following the victory against Jacksonville, in which starting quarterback Joe Flacco posted the team’s first 300-yard passing performance in over a year, head coach Kevin Stefanski declared Flacco the starting quarterback. team for the remaining four games of the regular season. Flacco appears to bring some stability to the Browns offense.
In addition to Flacco’s performance and Stefanski’s commitment to him as the team’s starter, the defense also got back on track in many ways, recording four sacks and turnovers in the win.
The Browns have dealt with a number of injuries this season, but they are in playoff contention as the AFC’s fifth seed when the tournament begins today.
Meanwhile, the Bears may not be a formidable opponent, but they are a force to be reckoned with.
They earned a surprising 28-13 victory over the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions on Sunday. It was a game in which Fields threw for 223 yards and scored two touchdowns while holding the Lions to a season-low total of 267 yards.
They also held Jared Goff and Detroit’s usually high-scoring offense under 20 points for the second time this season.
Over the past three weeks, Chicago’s defense has ranked in the top 10 in scoring allowed, yards allowed per game and yards allowed per game. In the same period, this department also achieved the second best sales margin, with a value of +2.7.
That said, the Browns are 3.5-point favorites at home and the positive vibes of a big win still permeating the city may be reassuring, but the Bears are dangerous.
