NFL Game Preview for November 14, 2010: New York Jets (-3) at Cleveland Browns

Overview

The betting experts say that the Cleveland Browns (3-5) have about as much chance at beating the New York Jets (6-2) in Week 10 as they do in beating the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots. Since the Browns have already beaten the Saints and the Patriots, the NFL betting public is looking very hard at this game between the Browns and the Jets.

There were a lot of NFL predictions floating around in preseason about the Jets, and many of those predictions came from the Jets themselves. But the NFL scores being posted this season seem to be justifying the Jets confidence, and the Jets are definitely playoff contenders.

But there is something special going in Cleveland, and Browns fans are seeing the benefits of having Mike Holgren around a little earlier than may people had expected.

Offense

So how did the Browns beat the Patriots? You would think that Cleveland would have taken advantage of a weak New England secondary and rookie quarterback Colt McCoy would have had a field day. But the Browns ran the ball right at the New England defense with punishing running back Peyton Hillis, and Hillis’ 184 yards on the ground and two touchdowns wound up being the difference.

The Browns were able to shut down the Patriots running game and put the game in the hands of Tom Brady. Normally that is not a bad thing for New England, but with wide receiver Deion Branch injured Brady’s options were very limited. The Browns can be whatever they need to be on offense to win a game. In their win over the Saints, the Browns barely put up any offense and only scored one offensive touchdown. But they did enough to win the game.

The Jets are unpredictable on offense. In Week 8 they did not score a single point against Green Bay, but in Week 9 the Jets put up 23 points to beat Detroit. It still looks like head coach Rex Ryan is holding back quarterback Mark Sanchez and denying the Jets the chance to score points. With offensive weapons such as running back LaDainian Tomlinson, wide receiver Braylon Edwards and wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery there is no way this offense should ever get shut out.

Defense

On defense the Jets are punishing and effective against the run. The New York defense is ranked fourth against the run allowing only 87 yards per game. The Jets have the kind of defense that can shut down Peyton Hillis and put the game in the hands of Colt McCoy. Whether or not McCoy is able to win a game with his arm has not been determined yet.

The Cleveland defense is opportunistic. Lately the Browns have become experts at picking off passes and causing fumbles. They still cannot put pressure on the quarterback and they have problems stopping the run, but if the Jets start making mistakes against the Browns defense then Cleveland will make them pay.

The Bottom Line

I am taking the Jets in this game but I would not be surprised if the Browns kept it close enough to win with a last-minute field goal. The point spread in this game makes it a dangerous bet, so if you are betting with the points you may want to take Cleveland.

Pick: New York Jets