Ravens vs. Browns NFL Week 1 odds: Cleveland cursed in openers since 1999
Bet on the Cleveland Browns to win Week 1 at the Baltimore Ravens at your peril.
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It has been well established that the Cleveland Browns have been mostly a laughingstock since returning to the NFL in 1999 with their 31 starting quarterbacks over that span and as many playoff appearances as winless seasons: one. The franchise hasn't had a winning record since 2007. Hence the nickname "Factory of Sadness."
That said, even the worst teams can be good bets at times. For example, the Miami Dolphins were supposed to be "Tanking for Tua" last season and finished 5-11, but they were a good against the spread wager at 9-7 because they played hard for first-year coach Brian Flores.
This offseason, Cleveland fired Freddie Kitchens after just one year and replaced him as head coach by former Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski. He's the franchise's 12th coach since that '99 return. The previous 11 clearly couldn't motivate the team at the start of a season because the Browns are an astonishing 1-19-1 straight up in their season openers since '99 and 6-15 ATS.
That victory was in 2004 in Baltimore, 20-3, when Cleveland was a 3-point underdog – in that span, the Browns have been on average 3-point dogs. However, they are losing by an average score of 25.3-14.2.
So, that's 15 consecutive winless openers since the Ravens victory – Cleveland did tie the Steelers in Pittsburgh 21-21, to open the 2018 season – and perhaps ironically the Browns open this season in Baltimore on Sept. 13. The Ravens are 9-point favorites on the NFL odds.
Last year, the Browns were overhyped and 5.5-point home favorites against visiting Tennessee, but the Titans rolled to a 43-13 win. Baker Mayfield was terrible, throwing three picks and sacked five times. That game essentially foreshadowed his and the Browns' season.
On the bright side, the Browns have covered their past two trips to Baltimore overall. They pulled what would later be shown to be a shocking upset in Week 4 last year, 40-25. The Ravens, who were 7-point favorites, wouldn't lose again in the regular season.
Which teams sail past their projected win totals? What is the SportsLine model's stunning Packers prediction? And how many wins will every NFL team have this season? ... See every projected win total, including the shocking prediction for the Packers, all from an uncanny computer model that crushed its NFL win total picks last year!