NFL Free Picks – Cleveland Browns to Ensure Jacksonville Misses Playoffs

Jacksonville essentially needs four of the bubble teams to lose this weekend to open up a spot for them in the playoffs. If you’re a real football fan first, and a sports betting nut job second, then there’s no way in hell that you’d want to see the Jaguars in the playoffs.

Thankfully they’re running full steam in to a Cleveland Browns team that has piled up three consecutive victories. David Garrard’s dwindling hopes of saving his team from the lottery will be ended as the Browns end this season with a bang.

Since stunning the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 13-6 victory on Thursday Night Football betting, the Browns have ripped off two more wins over the Chiefs and Raiders. It’s been a dramatic turnaround for a team that has just one viable superstar (Joshua Cribbs) and they’ve suddenly encouraged their fans to bank on them once again with a 5-0 ATS record in the past five overall, and a 4-2 ATS record in their past 6 at home.

The Jaguars have gone just 1-5 ATS in their past 6 games and are 1-4 SU/ATS on the road. They’re simply too imbalanced to play consistently. They don’t’ have a marquee receiver, though they have a player who used to be in Torry Holt. None of the receivers in Jacksonville are even close to breaking the 1,000 yard ceiling. Blame David Garrard for that. In fact, blame Garrard for all the problems in Jacksonville as of late. If you can’t get consistent play out of your quarterback, then how are you going to get consistency out of the rest of your team?

Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8) vs. Cleveland Browns (4-11)

Sunday, January 3 rd — Cleveland Browns Stadium —- 1:00pm EST

NFL Betting Line: Cleveland -1.5 (37.5)

The matchup should favor Maurice Jones-Drew against a 27 th ranked home rushing defense of the Browns, which surrenders an average of 137.9 yards on the ground per game. The issue for me is that Jacksonville’s rushing defense is 27 th on the road with 141.3 yards allowed. Jerome Harrison isn’t a household name yet, but he might be. Against the Chiefs he blew up for 286 yards and against the Raiders he piled up 148 on the ground.

This is going to be a slow game for both teams, as Jones-Drew and Harrison battle it out for ground supremacy, but in the end it will be the Browns that prevail. Jacksonville simply has nothing left in the tank after falling short against Indy two weeks ago, and the facts remain that this is one of the most unreliable bets on the road in football. Bet on momentum and the Cleveland Browns with a tight spread.

Furious Free Pick: Cleveland -1.5 (UNDER)