NFL Preseason: New Orleans at Cleveland (Thursday, August 10)

The quarterback carousel in Cleveland is definitely an interesting one. Remember just a year ago, when Brock Osweiler pulled off the contract heist of the decade, turning a few solid starts in Denver into a huge contract in Houston? Then the Texans got to see just how inconsistent he was, and all of a sudden he was on a bus to Cleveland. Now he’s fighting for his NFL career.

In the same camp is Notre Dame graduate DeShone Kizer, who wowed college football audiences with his arm a year ago. This dynamic will be the talk of the media going into the Browns’ preseason opener, as will the energy of this young team. The New Orleans Saints did add Adrian Peterson to give them a real running game, but neither he nor quarterback Drew Brees is expected to take the field on Thursday night.

So what will be high drama for Browns fans will counter some low-depth chart looks by the Saints’ coaching staff. Check out our preview of this game as we analyze the NFL preseason betting odds for this match.

NFL Preseason: New Orleans at Cleveland (Thursday, August 10)

When: Thursday, August 10, 2017, 8:00 PM ET
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland
TV: Local Affiliates Only
Radio: WWL 870 AM New Orleans / WKNR 850 AM Cleveland
Live Stream: NFL Live
NFL Odds: Pick ‘em, O/U 38.5</p

Why should you bet on the Saints?

Few teams can keep up with New Orleans when it comes to offense — a year ago, they ranked #2 in scoring offense and #1 in passing offense in the league. So it’s safe to say that they have a system in place that their backups should be able to operate with some precision. The Browns had a hard time doing just about everything on defense, including rushing the passer, stopping the run and defending against the pass in the secondary, so theoretically there should be a lot of opportunities for the Saints to pick up yardage in big chunks and score.

Cleveland went 1-15 last year — and the quarterback who led them to their lone win, Robert Griffin III, is no longer part of the organization. So while the Browns will be trying to cobble together a unit that has a ton of new faces, primarily from the draft, the Saints are looking to fine-tune a unit on the defensive side and hopefully move toward contention in the NFC South.

Why should you put your money on the Browns?

The Browns ranked #30 in the NFL last year in scoring defense. That’s not a good omen with the high-flying Saints coming to town. However, Cleveland picked up Jabrill Peppers and Myles Garrett in the first round — and they should get plenty of time to show what they can contribute at the pro level on Thursday night. While this infusion of youth will lead to some mistakes, the fact that Brees and Peterson won’t be on the field to exploit those mistakes does give the youthful Browns some room for error.

The excitement for Cleveland should come on the offensive side of the ball. Only one team has started more different quarterbacks since the retirement of Dan Marino from the National Football League — and that’s the Miami Dolphins. In addition to Osweiler and Kizer, Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler are all aiming for one of the three quarterback slots on the roster. Tailback Isaiah Crowell will not likely see much action, but if Duke Johnson can break some runs into that Saints’ secondary, they could have a big night. Oh, and that secondary — that’s the reason why the high-flying Saints didn’t make the playoffs — they couldn’t outscore their awful coverage.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction I like the moves that the Browns have made on their roster, and I see them coming out full of energy at home. I predict a final score of Cleveland 20, New Orleans 16.