Browns vs. Bengals: NFL Week 9 betting odds, preview, and pick

There’s a huge AFC North battle this weekend, as the Cincinnati Bengals host the Cleveland Browns in Ohio.

Both teams are coming off the back of bad losses and will attempt to bounce back in this big rivalry game.

The Bengals are favored by 2.5 points, while the points total is set at 47.

Chubb won’t fear Cincy

The 4-4 Browns sit bottom of a highly competitive AFC North after losing a defensive battle with the Steelers, 15-10, in Week 8.

That game saw the return of quarterback Baker Mayfield, but he managed just 225 yards through the air and no passing touchdowns in Pittsburgh's upset win.

Nick Chubb returned to action, which was a huge positive to Cleveland, and he took over with 16 of the Browns’ 23 rushing attempts, but was held to just 61 yards.

That was his lowest rushing tally since Week 15 last season, but now that he's back to full fitness, he will hope to make more of an impression here.

D’Ernest Johnson offers a complementary role with Kareem Hunt on the shelf.

Chubb is averaging 97.3 yards per game this season and went for 124 yards against the Bengals in Week 2 last season.

In five games against Cincinnati, Chubb has gone for over 100 yards in three of them and averaged 93 yards a game against them.

He will hold no fear, despite the Bengals giving up the fourth fewest rushing yards per game to running backs (68.4).

Bengals have plenty of weapons to call upon

The Bengals are also reeling after an embarrassing loss to the Jets in Week 8.

Cincinnati was an 11-point favorite but threw away a 31-20 lead with 7:30 left, going down 34-31 to a backup quarterback.

That drops the Bengals to 5-3, with all three defeats being by just three points. Fine margins are deciding the AFC North.

The Bengals defense has been the foundation for their winning record, with their run defense allowing just 3.9 yards per attempt (fifth strongest in the NFL).

But it’s their offense that has lit up the scoreboard in recent weeks. The Bengals have scored at least 31 points in their last three games and racked up 1,236 yards of total offense in that stretch.

Joe Mixon has averaged 71.5 yards per game this season and will be looking forward to this battle in Ohio. In the six games he has started against the Browns, he has averaged more than 100 yards a game against them.

Meanwhile, the connection between Joe Burrow and rookie Ja’Marr Chase has been electric. Chase has almost twice as many receiving yards as any other Bengals player and is averaging more than seven targets and 98 yards per game this year.

Browns and Bengals betting trends

• The Under is 4-2 in the Browns’ last six games
• The Under is 5-2 in the Bengals’ last seven games
• The Browns are 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games against the Bengals
• The Bengals are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games when playing as the favorite
• The Browns are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 games against AFC opponents
• The Bengals are 4-15 straight up in their last 19 games against AFC opponents

Bengals have enough firepower to move to 6-3

Both these teams have a defense that can win games, but the difference maker could be the Bengals offense. While the Browns have averaged less than 14 points a game since Week 5, the Bengals have averaged 35 points per game in the same span.

While Cleveland should be able to prevent Cincinnati from putting up those kinds of numbers in a high-pressure divisional clash, the Bengals should still have too much for the Browns, despite Nick Chubb’s best efforts.

Take the Bengals to cover the spread and the total to be Under 47

Score prediction: Browns 17, Bengals 24

NFL Week 9 Picks: BENGALS -2.5, UNDER 47

Browns vs. Bengals Powered by the Quant Edge

Our predictive engine is giving this one to the Bengals.