Pats Pulpit Picks: What are the best bets and picks for Bengals vs. Browns?

To close out Week 8 the Cincinnati Bengals (-3.5) will take on the Cleveland Browns (+3.5) on Monday Night Football.

The Bengals come into this game at 4-3 and a win would put them into the playoff picture. Joe Burrow has been great as of late and should be able to move the ball against a vulnerable Browns secondary. There will also be a heavy dose of running back Joe Mixon as establishing the run will be key to set up play action later on in the game.

The defensive side of the ball holds some question marks after giving up some big plays. It will need to be able to stop the run and make Cleveland air the ball out. Look for pass rushers Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson to get pressure and force turnovers.

Jacoby Brissett will try to lead the charge in this game and keep the Cincinnati secondary on its heels. Nick Chubb will be key in this process: if he runs all over the Bengals, Brissett will be able to run play action and attack downfield. Amari Cooper will also be heavily involved given that tight end David Njoku is expected to miss the game with an ankle injury.

If the Browns want to win this game their defense needs to be better. Myles Garrett has to be a game wrecker and force Burrow to be uncomfortable. Their linebacker play needs to step up and helps stop the run. The biggest thing, however, is the secondary slowing down the weapons that the Bengals have and keeping them within striking distance.

The Bengals are 3.5-point favorites according to the oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook. Let’s take a look at the Pats Pulpit staff’s picks for the game:

Player Prop of the Night

Tee Higgins Over 76.5 Receiving Yards (-125): With Ja’Marr Chase out, Tee Higgins should be the number one receiving option for the Bengals. This game will be close, and they will have to go to their playmakers down the stretch. This should mean that Higgins has the ball thrown his was a lot in this one and he should easily exceed 76.5 yards.