Tennessee Titans vs. Cleveland Browns 2019: Prediction Against The Spread, Betting Odds For Week 1

No team has received more hype than the Cleveland Browns ahead of the 2019 NFL season. It’s time to profit off all the attention the Browns have gotten when they host the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.

Cleveland is laying 5.5 points at home, according to the latest betting line at OddsShark, and the game total is 45.5. Despite the Browns’ relatively high ceiling this year, the point spread is too high.

There is a lot of talent on Cleveland’s roster with the offseason additions of Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon, who joined a team that already had budding stars in Baker Mayfield and Myles Garrett. The Browns also have some big question marks as they are pegged to be one of the AFC’s top contenders.

The New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers are the only teams within the conference that have better Super Bowl odds than Cleveland. A season after the franchise posted a losing record for the 11th straight year, the Browns’ championship odds are four times greater than that of the Titans, who have actually ranked among the NFL’s most consistent teams in recent seasons.

Tennessee has gone 9-7 in three consecutive seasons. The Titans should finish around .500, once again, led by a solid defense and one of the league’s best offensive lines. Marcus Mariota hasn’t been able to stay healthy throughout his career, only performing like an average quarterback when under center.

Mariota will suit up Sunday, and he’ll give the Titans a chance to pull off the upset if he can avoid making costly mistakes. The quarterback has thrown 10 interceptions or fewer in three of his four NFL seasons.

The Browns’ defense relied on forcing turnovers in 2018. Cleveland led the AFC with 31 takeaways. Only the Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals gave up more total yards.

Much was made of the success Cleveland had on offense once Freddie Kitchens became the offensive coordinator with Mayfield at quarterback. Let’s see if the team can reach expectations in Kitchens’ first year as a head coach with a second-year signal caller leading the offense.

Mayfield played very well as a rookie, throwing 27 touchdown passes and looking like a future Pro Bowler. The quarterback also threw 14 picks while struggling against some of the better defenses on Cleveland’s schedule. Mayfield threw three interceptions in Week 17 against Baltimore. The Browns were held to no more than 17 points in matchups with the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans in the season’s final month.

The Titans can slow down the game with their rushing attack, even without starting left tackle Taylor Lewan. Derrick Henry averaged 146.5 rushing yards per game in the final four weeks of last season. The Browns surrendered 4.7 yards per attempt.

Don’t be surprised if Beckham has a quiet Week 1 with his new team. He sat out the entire preseason and has never caught a pass from Mayfield in an actual game.

You can bet there will be a few surprises on the first NFL Sunday of 2019. A win for the Titan could very well make the list.

Prediction Against The Spread: Tennessee over Cleveland, 20-17