Browns vs Eagles Preseason Preview

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The preseason game on Thursday night will be the Cleveland Browns facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Browns beat the Jets in their opening preseason match but suffered a defeat at home against the Commanders last week. The Eagles fell to the Ravens in their initial preseason encounter. Notably, the Eagles narrowly secured a 21-20 victory against the Browns in last year's preseason.

As the Browns enter their third preseason game, they come off a 21-16 win against the Jets in the annual Hall of Fame game. However, they faced a 17-15 loss at home against the Commanders last Friday, where they were marked as three-point underdogs. The Browns had a mixed preseason record of 1-2 in the previous season, following a challenging 2022 campaign with a 7-10 record.

Cleveland will have a backup quarterback competition with Deshaun Watson, expected to start in week one Joshua Dobbs is considered the frontrunner for the backup role, while Kellen Mond and Dorian Thompson-Robinson have opportunities to rise in the depth chart. Mond has accumulated 171 passing yards across two preseason games.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, known for his impressive college years at UCLA, has showcased outstanding performance in the preseason. The rookie QB boasts an 80% pass completion rate, amassing 184 yards through the air. His exceptional play raises the possibility of claiming the backup quarterback spot if Josh Dobbs continues to struggle. Dobbs, who didn't play in the initial exhibition match and had a challenging performance last week, completed only 8 of 16 passes for 77 yards. His NFL regular season career consists of 456 passing yards with a 2:3 TD to INT ratio.

In the running back department, the Browns lack established options behind Nick Chubb. Jerome Ford, competing for a backup RB position, is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury. Demetric Felton Jr. has accumulated 20 rushing yards in his two seasons with the Browns, while John Kelly Jr. has 96 career rushing yards, including 48 yards in this preseason. David Bell, who secured three catches last week, is likely to see significant playtime. The 22-year-old had 24 receptions for 214 yards in his rookie season and has added 39 receiving yards across the preseason games. However, Elijah Moore, acquired from the Jets, is uncertain due to a rib injury, and Marquise Goodwin is sidelined with an illness.

Reflecting on the previous season, the Browns averaged 21.2 points per game, ranking 18th, and conceded an average of 22.4 points, placing them 20th in the league. On the other side, the Philadelphia Eagles are vying for their first preseason victory. They fell short in a 20-19 road loss to the Ravens last week as 5.5-point underdogs. The Eagles have lost three out of their last four preseason matches.

The Eagles don't currently face a quarterback competition in their training camp, with Jalen Hurts established as the number 1 QB. Although he didn't play last week, the 25-year-old star might make an appearance in a few series during this game.

Notably, the Eagles possess a strong backup quarterback in Marcus Mariota, a former starter. The veteran completed 7 of 11 passes for 58 yards in the previous week. Following Mariota in the depth chart are Ian Book and Tanner McKee. Book, a 25-year-old drafted in the 4th round in 2021, has minimal regular season action with 135 passing yards.

Tanner McKee took the majority of snaps in the last week's game against Baltimore, completing 10 of 20 passes for 148 yards. The 23-year-old, selected by the Eagles in the 6th round of the recent draft, accumulated 1348 passing yards with a 13:8 TD to INT ratio during his time with Stanford last year. The Eagles boast depth in the running back position, led by D’Andre Swift, acquired from the Lions. While Swift has the potential for significant contributions, his history of injuries is a concern. The Eagles also feature proven NFL talents in their running back roster, including Rashaad Penny and Boston Scott. Penny recorded 346 rushing yards last season, with a career total of over 1900 yards, while Scott collected 217 rushing yards last year.

However, the Eagles are grappling with injuries among their receivers. Greg Ward gained 53 receiving yards last week, while Quez Watkins, who amassed 354 receiving yards last season, was sidelined in the preseason opener due to a hamstring injury, making his status uncertain. Depth receivers Britain Covey and Deon Cain are also dealing with injuries, and their availability remains unknown.

With a dynamic offense that averaged 28.1 points last year, ranking them third in the league, the Eagles present a formidable challenge. Their defense held opponents to an average of 20.2 points, placing them eighth in the NFL.

Headlines 🚨

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Trends 📈📉 via Oddsshark

⚾️ Tigers at Twins

• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games

• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games on the road

• Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

• Minnesota is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Detroit

⚾️ Pirates at Mets

• The total has gone OVER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games

⚾️ Diamondbacks at Rockies

• Arizona is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Colorado

• The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Arizona's last 11 games on the road

• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing Arizona

• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games at home

⚾️ Guardians at Reds

• Cleveland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati

• Cleveland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road

• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 5 games at home

• The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Cincinnati's last 11 games

⚾️ Astros at Marlins

• The total has gone OVER in 17 of Houston's last 21 games when playing on the road against Miami

⚾️ Red Sox at Washington

• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games

• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Boston

⚾️ Phillies at Blue Jays

• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games on the road

⚾️ Yankees at Braves

• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Yankees's last 8 games when playing Atlanta

⚾️ Angels at Rangers

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Angels's last 6 games on the road

• The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Angels's last 5 games

• Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

• Texas is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games at home

⚾️ Mariners at Royals

• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 7 games when playing Kansas City

⚾️ Orioles at Padres

• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games when playing San Diego

• The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Diego's last 7 games when playing at home against Baltimore

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Diego's last 6 games at home

⚾️ Brewers at Dodgers

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 7 games

Public Money 🤑 via VSiN at 9AMCT

⚾️ MLB

44% of bets and 67% of money is on NYM -1.5 (+160)

44% of bets and 68% of money is on COL +1.5 (-130)

31% of bets and 53% of money is on SF -110

44% of bets and 63% of money is on OVER 9.5 OAK at STL

48% of bets and 68% of money is on UNDER 9 BOS at WSH

33% of bets and 52% of money is on PHI +120

58% of bets and 78% of money is on UNDER 7.5 PHI at TOR

10% of bets and 44% of money is on NYY +170

67% of bets and 86% of money is on OVER 9 LOS at TEX

25% of bets and 67% of money is on OVER 11 CWS at CHC

11% of bets and 33% of money is on KC +185

31% of bets and 84% of money is on UNDER 8 BAL at SD

11% of bets and 38% of money is on MIL +195

55% of bets and 76% of money is on UNDER 8.5 MIL at LAD

🏈 NFL

22% of bets and 45% of money is on CLE +145

Future Odds 🔮 via Bovada Sportsbook

Injury Report 🏥 via ESPN

ATL (2B) Ozzie Albies | 10 Day IL - Hamstring

CWS (SS) Tim Anderson | Suspension - Appeal hearing tomorrow for 6 game suspension

COL (LF) Jurickson Profar | Day-to-Day - Knee

DET (SS) Javier Baez | Bereavement 

HOU (2B) Jose Altuve | Day-to-Day - Left yesterday’s game with knee contusion

MIN (2B) Edouard Jullien | Day-to-Day

PIT (RF) Josh Palacios | Out 

SD (1B) Ji Man Choi | 10 Day IL - Rib

STL (2B) Nolan Gorman | Day-to-Day - Back

STL (C) Wilson Contreras | Day-to-Day - Hip

TB (SP) Shane McClanahan | 60 Day IL - Forearm, will require Tommy John surgery

TB (SS) Wander Franco | Out 

TB (CF) Manuel Margot | 10 Day IL - Elbow, will require surgery

TOR (3B) Matt Chapman | Day-to-Day - Finger

Picks 🔒

BMW Championship (.25 units each)

Hovland +1600

Tony Finau +3500

Cam Davis +6600

MLB

Tigers +145 | The Detroit Tigers have won four of their last six and have dominated Minnesota, winning nine of the last 13 versus the Twins. Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Reese Olson kept Minnesota's bats in check last Thursday when pitching six innings and allowing just two hits and no runs with eight strikeouts and three walks, with the Tigers winning 3-0.

NFL

Browns +4 | The Cleveland Browns are having success in the preseason under coach Kevin Stefanski, registering a 5-2 record. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t necessarily play to win in exhibition play, going 1-5 in his six preseason bouts as head coach after a road loss to the Ravens last week.