NFL betting trends, odds and predictions for Monday, August 21st, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
Monday's NFL Week 2 Preseason Primer: Giants at Browns
Covers.com
New York Giants at Cleveland Browns (+1, 38)
About the Giants
In his second year as Giants head coach, Ben McAdoo is sticking to his preseason plan from a year ago. His starters sat the first week of the preseason but will take the field against the Browns on Monday.
“We’d like to give [Giants QB Eli Manning] a good chunk of playing time, into the second quarter,” McAdoo told reporters.
Manning saw 19 snaps in Week 2 of the preseason last year before getting the hook. He played one series into the second quarter in what ended up being a 21-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Geno Smith and Josh Johnson are still battling for the No. 2 QB job behind Manning on the depth chart. Johnson started last week but Smith is expected to take the field immediately after Manning completes his cameo appearance. Johnson will take the final snaps of the game once Smith’s night is over.
The Giants are now 2-3 straight up and 1-3-1 against the spread in the preseason under McAdoo.
All G-Men starters are good to go with the exception of cornerback Eli Apple. The second year defensive back out of Ohio State has been ruled out because of a sore ankle.
About the Browns
The Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff is hungry for wins. The team went 1-15 in the regular season and 0-4 in the preseason a year ago. The Browns won and covered last week against the New Orleans Saints but that hasn’t quenched head coach Hue Jackson’s thirst for more victories.
“…we are going there to win, there is no question about that,” Jackson told Cleveland reporters about Monday’s matchup with the Giants. “There is a score being kept and if there is, you want to win.”
Cleveland will start Brock Osweiler at quarterback with rookie DeShone Kizer next in line. The Browns want Osweiler to win the job so that he’ll be the Week 1 starter but the veteran hasn’t been outperforming Kizer in the preseason.
Osweiler completed just six of his 14 pass attempts last week against the Saints for 42 yards, whereas Kizer went 11-for-18 for 18 yards and one TD pass.
Cody Kessler was the frontrunner to win the starting job when training camp opened but he’s looked so shaky he’s fallen all the way to No. 3 on the depth chart. He’ll take the field after Kizer on Monday against the Giants.
All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas will not play for the Browns on Monday.
Line moves
The Browns opened as 1.5-point home favorites but now stand as 1-point underdogs. The total opened at 39.5 and now sits at 38.
Preseason MNF Best Bet
Vegasinsider.com
New York Giants vs. Cleveland Browns
Odds: NY Giants (-1.5) vs Cleveland Browns (+1.5); Total 38
The Giants and Browns wrap up an eventual second week of preseason action tonight, and it will be the second time viewers get to see the MNF booth after they called the Jacksonville/Tampa game last Thursday. Both teams would like a strong performance from their side, as both enter the 2017 season with some strong goals, albeit to a varying degree comparatively.
The New York Giants have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations this year and WR Odell Beckham Jr has already stated this summer that he'd love to be a big reason behind the Giants hanging up another championship banner in their facility. They are a team that's loaded with weapons on offense, have a defense that came into their own a year ago (2nd fewest points allowed/game), and are another year further into HC Ben McAdoo's complex, but successful, system that brought Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers so much success a few years back.
With the Dallas Cowboys having some eligibility concerns with some of their stars at the moment, the Giants have become a great option to back in the NFC East, and from there we all know that anything can happen come playoff time.
For this game specifically, bettors have already gotten on board with New York as this line has seen significant movement. Cleveland actually opened up as 1-point favorites, and with VegasInsider.com's betting percentage numbers showing about a 70/30 split in favor of the Giants, this line has completely flipped.
A move like that is not overly shocking given we are dealing with a Cleveland Browns game here – preseason or not – but the Browns are hoping 2017 can see them take some big steps towards finally getting out of their perpetual rebuilding stage.
Cleveland has multiple options they are working through for who will end up being the starting QB for them this year. Brock Osweiler was brought in and will likely get the first crack at it, but Cleveland also drafted rookie DeShone Kizer, and have a young Cody Kessler – who's been serviceable for the Browns before – also in their stable of QB's.
Having that position be in the midst of a position battle right now does lend itself to the Browns treating these preseason games with a more intense feel, and it probably played a part in them being 1-0 SU in the 2017 preseason.
However, backing the Browns on the ML here is not something I'm looking to do as you've got to respect a significant line move that's flipped flop the favorite here. That doesn't mean backing the Giants is ideal either as what little value there was is now gone, and New York is still looking to ensure all their big names get to September healthy. Instead, with the Giants likely getting a quarter or so from their top guys and the Browns trio of QB's looking to impress from start to finish, I'm looking at this total and believe 38 points is too low here.
For one, the Giants offense that was generally lethargic and got held to four FG's last week are going to make a point to find the end zone tonight. In fact, all three units on the depth chart are probably out to get a TD this evening, and with the big names starting things off for 15 minutes or so, I fully expect New York to get at least a score in that opening frame.
Next week may be the dress rehearsal, but they'll want to have some solid work in before then, and against an organization like Cleveland's that has been a perennial basement dweller, things may not be overly difficult for New York tonight.
Cleveland would love to do the same tonight and the more success each QB has during their time out there, the better their brand looks in the eyes of the coaching staff. New York's strong defense from a year ago is still there, but they won't be putting everything on display and will simply getting their reps in.
In the national primetime spotlight, it's a great opportunity for this Browns team to drum up some hope for their fans that they will actually be rather competitive this season. Scoring 20+ on a team like the Giants here could only help that cause and that's the number we should see Cleveland at least hover around tonight.
So after both sides easily stayed 'under' their respective totals in Week 1 of the preseason, look for the offenses to show up tonight under the primetime lights. It's a spot where 38 points is just too low for what these two individual teams want to get accomplished as goals for their 2nd preseason game of the year.
Best Bet: Over 38