Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns: 10/17/21 NFL Picks and Prediction
Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Browns (3-2) vs Arizona Cardinals (5-0)
Game Info: Sunday, October 17, 2021 at 4:05 pm (FirstEnergy Stadium)
Betting Odds: Cleveland Browns -3.5 -- Over/Under: 49.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Arizona Cardinals will travel to FirstEnergy Stadium to take on the Cleveland Browns this Sunday afternoon in NFL action.
The Arizona Cardinals improved to 5-0 on the season after defeating the San Francisco 49ers, 17-10, this past Sunday. Arizona had trouble getting their offensive rolling against the tough San Francisco defense, however, was able to pull away in the 4th quarter after a 9-yard TD reception by DeAndre Hopkins gave the Cardinals a 10-point lead with 5:13 left in regulation. Arizona was outgained by San Francisco by a 338-304 margin and committed 1 turnover in the victory. Leading the way for the Cardinals was WR DeAndre Hopkins who had 6 receptions for 87 yards & 1 TD.
On the season, Arizona is averaging 31.4 ppg on 430.4 total yards per game (302.4 passing yds/g; 128.0 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Arizona has been led by QB Kyler Murray who has completed 75.2% of his passes for 1512 yards (324.4 passing yds/g), 10 TD, & 4 INT. Murray is also a threat with his legs as he has 110 rushing yards & 3 TD’s on the ground. The leading receivers for the Cardinals have been DeAndre Hopkins (23 rec, 312 yards, 4 TD), Christian Kirk (21 rec, 283 yards, 2 TD), Rondale Moore (21 rec, 270 yards, TD), & A.J. Green (16 rec, 261 yards, 2 TD). Leading the way for the Cardinals backfield has been the duo of Chase Edmonds (49 att, 270 yards) & James Conner (63 att, 201 yards, 5 TD).
Defensively, Arizona is holding their opponents to an average of 19.0 ppg on 369.6 total yards per game (230.6 passing yds/g; 139.0 rushing yds/g).
The Cleveland Browns had their 3-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 3-2 on the season after being defeated by the Los Angeles Rams, 47-42, this past Sunday. In an exciting back-and-forth offensive 4th quarter, Cleveland allowed the Chargers Austin Ekeler to find the endzone twice in the final 3:15 of regulation to get the come from behind victory. Cleveland outgained Los Angeles by a 531-493 margin and won the turnover battle by a 1-0 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Browns was RB Nick Chubb who had 161 rushing yards & 1 TD on 21 carries.
On the season, Cleveland is averaging 28.4 ppg on 435.6 total yards per game (248.0 passing yds/g; 187.6 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Cleveland has been led by their backfield duo of Nick Chubb (90 att, 523 yards, 4 TD) & Kareem Hunt (55 att, 295 yards, 5 TD; 17 rec, 149 yards). QB Baker Mayfield has completed 66.9% of his passes for 1240 yards (263.6 passing yds/g), 4 TD, & 2 INT. The top receiving threats for the Browns have been David Njoku (14 rec, 260 yards, TD), Rashard Higgins (11 rec, 143 yards, TD), Donovan Peoples-Jones (9 rec, 127 yards), & Odell Beckham Jr. (9 rec, 124 yards).
Defensively, Cleveland is holding their opponents to an average of 22.8 ppg on 322.2 total yards per game (246.6 passing yds/g; 75.6 rushing yds/g).
The Cardinals are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Browns are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS loss and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
This should be one of the better games to watch this Sunday and although I certainly can see Cleveland handing Arizona their first loss of the season, I do think this is going to be a close game. Cleveland is going to have success on the ground with their outstanding RB duo, however, the Browns secondary was exposed last week by the Chargers Justin Herbert and it’s hard to imagine that Kyler Murray won’t have similar success. I think this game comes down to the wire, however, as we are getting more than a FG with the Cardinals, I think the play here is to take Arizona. Good Luck!
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Brett’s Pick Arizona Cardinals +3.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
