Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints
Sunday, 10/24/2010, 1:00 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: New Orleans -14
Current Betting Line: New Orleans -13
Opening Total: 44.5
Current Total: 43.5
Current Moneyline: New Orleans -725 / Cleveland +575
Cleveland lost by more than 10 points for the first time this season in a 28-10 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week and many expect the same result versus the Saints. The game marked the career debut of quarterback Colt McCoy, who threw for 281 yards and a touchdowns against one of the league’s best defenses. “I’ve been playing this position my whole life,” McCoy said. His teammates definitely see the leadership skills that many saw during his magical career at Texas. “I saw him take control of the huddle,” guard Eric Steinbach said. “We thought that Jake coming in right away had that leadership. It seems like it’s carrying over to Colt.” The Browns are likely to be without some top offensive players this week, as receivers Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi were knocked out of Sunday’s games with concussions, leaving them doubtful for this contest. The team is 2-3 ATS this year and the total is 3-3 O/U in those games.
The Browns are 7-2 all-time at New Orleans, but they haven’t enjoyed that type of success against this week’s opposing quarterback. Saints signal caller is 3-0 as a starter against the Browns in his career. Sunday’s game will be the only one Cleveland plays in a domed stadium this season. They played one game in a dome last year and managed to score 37 points, but lost the contest by a point. Cleveland running back Peyton Hillis was the toast of the town early in the season, but has struggled to a 3.1 yards-per-carry average the past two weeks following consecutive 100-yard games. The club is 12-10 ATS in its last 22 indoor contests.
New Orleans is coming off an impressive 31-6 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week and the defending champs are starting to regain confidence with a 4-2 overall mark. “We’re a confident group. We’ve got some swagger,” said quarterback Drew Brees. “We know how good we are and how good we can be.” The Saints managed to gain 212 yards on the ground in the contest and are now an impressive 14-1 in their last 15 games when rushing for at least 120. Still many will be quick to point out that this team is nowhere as dominant as last years, which outscored opponents by 99 points through five games. The team should be pleased in playing a non-conference foe, covering nine straight games in this situation over the last three years.
The Saints defense has been tremendous against the run over the last three games, giving up a combined 201 yards, which is just a yard shy of the 202 rushing yards it surrendered to the Falcons in a 27-24 overtime loss at home on September 26. The unit allowed 4.4 yards per carry in the first three weeks and only 3.1 yards per attempt since. New Orleans also welcomed back All-Pro safety Darren Sharper to the practice field on Wednesday for the first time, as he was placed on the PUP list in July due to a knee injury. “He looked pretty good,” head coach Sean Payton stated. “We’ll keep evaluating him day-to-day.” Sharper has pronounced himself ready to return to the active roster but no decision has been made by the coaching staff.
Bettors may take a shot on the Browns despite all of their injuries due to the team’s 9-3 ATS mark in October. New Orleans is 0-4 ATS in its last four games as a home favorite of 10.5 or more points.
