Cleveland Browns get another shot to avoid NFL history
In a desperate attempt to find their quarterback of the future, the Cleveland Browns will start Cody Kessler again Thursday night.
The Browns are trying to avoid NFL history. The comparisons to the 0-16 Detroit Lions of 2008 and the 0-14 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers of 1976 are starting to pop up more frequently in Cleveland.
The Browns have passed the half-mile pole still winless at 0-9, but they are attracting betting action as 8-point underdogs at Baltimore. The Ravens opened as 10-point favorites.
If there is some encouragement, it’s that recent games versus Baltimore have been close, and the Ravens were forced to rally for a narrow 25-20 win by Lake Erie in Week 2. After injuries to Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown, the Browns are auditioning Kessler, a third-round draft pick from Southern California.
The Ravens have no wins by more than seven points since 2014.
Despite the low-variance nature of coach John Harbaugh’s team, Baltimore looks like it might be back on track. Steve Smith’s return is giving quarterback Joe Flacco a familiar target and providing more room for deep threat Mike Wallace, whose 95-yard touchdown burned the Steelers last week.
The Gold Sheet pick: Ravens, 31-16
Las Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall is editor of The Gold Sheet (Goldsheet.com).
