Browns vs. Ravens Prediction, Odds, Spread, Injuries, Trends for NFL Week 18

Iain MacMillan | Dec 31, 2024

The Baltimore Ravens are two-touchdown favorites against the Cleveland Browns to beat them in Week 18. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The final week of the 2024 NFL regular season will begin on Saturday when the Baltimore Ravens take on the Cleveland Browns with a chance to officially lock up the AFC North.

The Browns have nothing to play for and their organization has seemingly thrown in the towel by continuing to play Dorian Thompson-Robinson, despite him proving he's the worst quarterback in the league. Does Cleveland have any chance of pulling off the upset? Let's dive into it.

Browns vs. Ravens Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

• Browns +17.5 (-108)
• Ravens -17.5 (-112)

Moneyline

• Browns +950
• Ravens -1650

Total

• OVER 41.5 (-110)
• UNDER 41.5 (-110)

Browns vs. Ravens How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, January 4
• Time: 4:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: M&T Bank Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN/ABC/ESPN+
• Browns record: 3-13
• Ravens record: 11-5

Browns vs. Ravens Betting Trends

• Browns are 0-5 ATS in their last five games
• The UNDER is 4-1 in the Browns' last five games
• Browns are 4-1 ATS in their last five games vs. Ravens
• Browns are 3-13 straight up in their last 16 games played in Baltimore
• Ravens are 4-1 ATS in their last five games
• The OVER is 12-4 in the Ravens' last 16 games
• Ravens are 4-2 ATS the last six time they've been set as favorites

Browns vs. Ravens Injury Reports

Browns Injury Report

• Jameis Winston, QB - Questionable
• Cedric Tillman, WR - Questionable
• Ogbo Okoronkwo, DE - Questionable
• David Njoku, TE - Questionable
• Jerome Ford, RB - Questionable

Ravens Injury Report

• Justice Hill, RB - Questionable
• Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB - Questionable
• Nelson Agholor, WR - Questionable
• Charlie Kolar, TE - IR-R
• Rasheen Ali, RB - Questionable

Browns vs. Ravens Key Players to Watch

Cleveland Browns

Jerry Jeudy: The only bright spot left on the Browns is Jerry Jeudy, who has had a great season with 84 receptions and 1,166 yards. Last week, he hauled in 12 receptions for 94 yards being the only person on the offense who could move the ball down the field. He's their only hope to keep this game in range against the Ravens.

Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson: The NFL MVP race isn't over quite yet but with the Ravens playing in one more stand alone game, Jackson can make a final statement with one more big performance. He should also be aided by the fact Josh Allen likely won't play a full game in a meaningless result against the Patriots on Sunday.

Browns vs. Ravens Prediction and Pick

In this week's edition of the "Road to 272 Bets," I broke down why I'm not afraid to lay the points with the Ravens.

We need to reimagine what it means to "tank" as a professional sports team and remember that players and coaches themselves will never purposely lose a game for any reason, including a higher draft pick. Instead, a team will purposely put forward a lineup that has no chance of winning a game, even when they try to. The Browns rolling with Dorian Thompson-Robinson is a perfect example of that. The UCLA product has no business being an NFL quarterback and he ranks dead last by a huge margin in adjusted EPA per play this season.

As a result, there's no way I can trust the Browns to cover the spread at any number, especially against arguably the best team in the NFL the Ravens, who still need to win to make sure they lock up the AFC North.

The Ravens enter Week 18 leading the NFL in Net Yards per Play at +1.7 while the Browns are 20th at -0.9, a difference of 2.6 yards per play between the two teams. Don't be afraid of the big number, lay it with Baltimore.

Pick: Ravens -17.5 (-110)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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