Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots Week 8 Pick

By Keith F

The Cleveland Browns (2-4) and New England Patriots (7-0) will square off in an AFC North vs. AFC East intra-conference collision. The two teams will meet on Sunday, October 27th, 2019, with a scheduled kick-off time of 4:25 PM ET. Dating back to 2001, Cleveland and New England have not crossed paths much despite their conference proximity. In fact, the Browns and Patriots have met just seven times over this span, and New England has won six of those meetings. The Pats have also gone 5-2 ATS over this sample. New England and Cleveland last met in 2016 when the Patriots came to Cleveland. The Patriots would march onto a 33-13 win over the Browns to cover easily as a 10-point favorite.

Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots Key Injury Concerns

Patriots Wide Receiver Josh Gordon has found himself on the Injury Reserve list due to a left ankle and knee injury. New England went out this week and traded for veteran receiver Mohammed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons to supplement the loss of Gordon.

Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots Overview

Cleveland Browns

The attrition seems to continue in Cleveland as the Browns have now lost their third game in their last four outings. The most recent Cleveland assailant was Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks, who came to Cleveland two weeks ago to square off with the Brownies. Cleveland closed as a one-point favorite but failed to deliver when the Browns were defeated 32-28 by Seattle.

New England Patriots

The Patriots put together an emphatic win over the AFC East division rival, the New York Jets when they traveled down to the Big Apple for a Monday Night Football collision. Closing as a 9.5-point favorite, the Patriots were truly easy money as they blanked Gang Green 33-0.

Reasons to Back Cleveland

The stock on Cleveland has undoubtedly undergone a paradigm shift. Lest we forget that the Browns were one of the most “hyped teams” coming into the 2019-20 season. Now, the Browns appear shipwrecked and maligned, which puts them in position to now offer value. At the beginning of the season, the hype put Cleveland in a spot to be overvalued. Currently, the opposite holds true as taking back the points here is a method for the market to enchant action on the Brownies, given how no one would be keen to back them in this scenario. Moreover, Cleveland has also had two weeks to prepare for this contest.

Reasons to Avoid New England

As a general rule of thumb, when one gets behind the Patriots, they can expect to pay a premium to do so. This is especially true when the Pats are the reigning and defending champions. Every now and then, there are softer spots where perhaps New England may be a more equitable choice that presents potential value. However, this is not one of those spots. The Patriots have owned the Browns in this series, and the two sides couldn’t come into this meeting in more contrasting forms. When the location of the contest is tossed into the mix, there is a propensity for New England to be supremely valued at home after an impressive nationally-televised victory.

Get more details: Jets at Patriots NFL Match-up Stats

Browns at Patriots Prediction 10/27/19

Will Cleveland upset New England in Foxboro? I doubt that. However, the Browns can undoubtedly hang around in this game and come in under the number. After all, the Patriots have shown that they can play down to the level of their competition. Previous to their encounter with the Jets, the Patriots led the New York Giants and Washington Redskins by a mere touchdown at halftime in their respective matches against them. However, the difference between the Browns with the Giants and Redskins is that Cleveland has the offensive firepower to make this a four-quarter game. New England won’t be able to pull away as easy, and even if New England takes control, back-door potential also exists in this affair. Grab the points.

Free Pick: Take Cleveland +12