Bengals vs. Browns Picks, Predictions Week 8: Will Cleveland’s Dominance in Rivalry Continue?

Top NFL picks for the Monday Night Football divisional matchup between the Bengals and Browns.

Mike Spector

Last updated: October 31, 2022 5:38 AM EDT • 4 min read

The Cincinnati Bengals have surged past the Cleveland Browns in the AFC North standings. The two rivals clash in Cleveland as the battle of Ohio renews on Halloween night. Read on for our top Bengals-Browns picks.

Cincinnati and Cleveland meet on Monday Night Football with the two teams headed in opposite directions. The Bengals are 4-1 following an 0-2 start, while the Browns are in the midst of their longest losing streak (four) in three seasons under head coach Kevin Stefanski.

However, Cleveland has had great success over Cincinnati lately, winning seven of their last eight meetings dating back to the 2018 season.

Here are our Bengals-Browns NFL picks for Week 8 (odds via Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out our top Monday Night Football prop picks.

Bengals vs. Browns Game Info

Date: Monday, Oct. 31, 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, OH
Weather: 55 degrees, 59% chance of precipitation, 11-mph SW wind

Bengals vs. Browns Odds

Bengals vs. Browns Odds Analysis

The consensus spread opened with the Bengals favored by 3 points. Cincinnati remains favored at that number even with 71% of the tickets and 64% of the handle backing the Bengals to cover.

The Over/Under has also held steady at the consensus opening number of 45. Bettors are again aligned with 68% of the tickets accounting for 79% of the cash on the Over.

Bengals vs. Browns Picks

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Bengals vs. Browns ATS Pick

Browns +3.5 (-110) ★★★

While Cleveland is just 2-5, four of the five losses have been by three or fewer points.

Joe Burrow is 0-3 in his career against Cleveland, and his passing yards per attempt against the Browns is 1.1 yards lower than his overall career average.

Meanwhile, Nick Chubb's 740 rushing yards are the most by a Browns running back through seven games since Jim Brown in 1965. His bruising running style provides the perfect formula to keep Cincinnati's high-powered offense on the sidelines.

Cincinnati has only had a few short days to prepare for life without Ja'Marr Chase, as the team learned its star receiver would miss the next 4-6 weeks with a hip injury. His absence lowers the ceiling of a Bengals squad that ranks second in DVOA since Week 3 and second in offensive EPA.

If they cover this week, the Bengals will match their longest cover streak since 1993, but the Browns will prevent them from doing so. Cleveland has an excellent opportunity to win outright for the first time on Monday Night Football against the Bengals in their third chance.

Bengals vs. Browns O/U Pick

Over 45 (-110) ★★★

Cleveland has allowed 28.5 points per game during its four-game losing streak. The team faces a Bengals offense that is the only one with three players with at least 400-plus receiving yards (Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd). Joe Burrow threw for 344 yards in the first half against the Atlanta Falcons last week, the fourth-most by a quarterback since 2010. He also finished the sixth instance in NFL history where a quarterback threw for 450-plus yards, three-plus passing touchdowns, and completed at least 80% of his passes, and he is on that list twice.

Cincinnati is the only team not to allow a second-half touchdown this season, making it the only team to accomplish that feat through the first seven games since 1950, per Elias. And while they have averaged just 17.8 PPG since Week 3, the Browns clearly have a formula that works against this defense, as they have averaged 33.5 in a four-game winning streak in this rivalry.

Bengals vs. Browns Prop Pick

Boyd Over 62.5 receiving yards (-110) ★★★

Since 2021, Chase has ranked fourth in receiving yards (2,060), second in receiving touchdowns (19), and fourth in yards after the catch (914). That is a lot of production that will be spread primarily to Boyd and Higgins. While one could argue the way Chase dictates coverage helps the other two, Boyd also is an underrated commodity, ranking seventh with a score of 73 in ESPN's Receiver Tracking Metric.

Look for Boyd to shine in Chase's absence and to torch a Cleveland defense that ranks 30th in EPA and 28th in success rate the last four weeks.

Where to Bet on Bengals vs. Browns Picks

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Bengals-Browns picks made 10/30/2022 at 8:51 a.m. ET

Written By:
Mike Spector

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”