Saints vs. Browns Prediction
Will the Browns be able to cover the point spread at home versus the Saints as a field goal favorite on Thursday night?
The Browns are listed as a 3-point favorite by Bovada.lv as they host the Saints Thursday night in the preseason opener for both squads. The over-under is set at 38. When the line opened it was set as a pick’em while the over-under has dropped a point after originally being set at 39.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: The Saints offense is still in the hands of veteran quarterback Drew Brees, while the team made a splash in free agency when they inked free agent running back Adrian Peterson. But neither are expected to play in the preseason opener, which is typically smart as the risk of injury outweighs the reps for players who clearly don’t need them. Look for Chase Daniel and Ryan Nassib to take a lot of QB snaps. New Orleans’ defense was dreadful last season, although there were slight improvements in the latter portion of the season. It was a very young defensive group, so with another year of experience under their belt it could be a group that is at least slightly better.
CLEVELAND BROWNS: No. 1 overall draft pick, defensive end Myles Garrett, will make his preseason debut. He has received rave reviews during training camp and all eyes will be on him in a real-game setting. Expect him to see a lot of first quarter snaps as he is quoted on NFL.com saying he wants a ‘dominant performance’ right out of the gates. Cleveland should be better on defense this year simply due to Garrett’s presence. Offensively, the
Browns have some pieces to work with such as running back Duke Johnson and second-year wideout Corey Coleman. But the quarterback here is Brock Osweiler, if he even wins the job, and the fact of the matter is there is still a ways to go before this franchise becomes relevant.
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Our Prediction: Since it’s the preseason and the Saints are resting some quality players, we’ll give this one to the Browns on their home turf. If nothing else, Cleveland should be heavily motivated during the preseason to try and get some positive momentum rolling for this year. The Browns went 0-4 last preseason and didn’t score more than 13 points in any of the four games, so now’s the time to reverse that trend.
THURSDAY NIGHT NFL PREDICTION: Browns -3
