N.Y. Giants at Cleveland NFL Preseason Week 2 Odds

The Cleveland Browns gave their fans a real show in their preseason opener, coming back to beat the New Orleans Saints, 20-14. Now they prepare to welcome the New York Giants, a team with an offense that can be just as scary as the Saints’ and a defense that is much more talented than the one from the Crescent City. The Giants come to town nursing their own pride after taking a 20-12 loss at home, as the Pittsburgh Steelers pretty much did what they wanted offensively without putting their big name stars out on the field. Let’s consider this matchup from the shores of Lake Erie as you put together your slate for the weekend’s NFL preseason betting action.

It’s that #FridayFeeling around here! pic.twitter.com/OOCI90h4MD

— New York Giants (@Giants) August 18, 2017

NFL Preseason: N.Y. Giants at Cleveland Game Info & Odds

When: Monday, August 21, 2017, 8:00 PM ET Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland TV: ESPN Radio: WFAN 660 AM New York City / WKNR 850 AM Cleveland Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Odds: Cleveland -1.5, O/U 39.5

Why should you bet on the Giants?

Three quarterbacks are vying for the right to back up Eli Manning — Geno Smith, Josh Johnson and Davis Webb. It didn’t really matter who was back there, though, because the offensive line played so awfully that the trio of passers took seven sacks combined and nine other hits. That contributed to their 23-for-42 combined performance on the day, resulting in 169 yards but no touchdowns (and a Smith interception). The running game wasn’t much better, as Orleans Darkwa led the way with a paltry 18 yards. You might think that the highly paid Giants defense would have shown up big-time in this one — but you’d be somewhat disappointed. The defensive line only hit the Steelers’ quarterbacks four times and recorded three sacks — and they permitted the Steelers to run for 4.6 yards per attempt and go 22 for 28 in the passing game combined. If you like the Giants, then you like that splashy free-agent crew to show up on defense this time and take those youthful Browns out to the woodshed. The longer the Giants toy with Cleveland, the likelier the Dawg Pound is to celebrate a second straight preseason victory.

Why should you put your money on the Browns?

How about DeShone Kizer? We know now (if we didn’t already) how he jumped ahead of Malik Zayre on the depth chart to start at quarterback last season. He went 11 for 18 on the night, totaling 184 yards and that touchdown that put the Browns ahead to stay in the fourth period. He was not afraid to throw the ball down the field, picking up an average of 16.7 yards per completed pass. On the night, the Browns threw 41 passes, targeting nine different players a minimum of three times. Given how much the Giant backups surrendered through the air last week, I like the Browns to try that approach again, putting aggressiveness over prudence and seeing what they can bring home as a result.

The Browns went heavy on the blitz against the Saints, and it worked with a strip sack that helped them secure the victory. On the night, the Browns sacked the opposing quarterback five times, thanks in large part to Gregg Williams’ willingness to keep sending extra Cleveland players crashing in on blitz packages before the Saints could get rid of the ball. That kind of performance, repeated, will put the Giants on their heels in a hurry. Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction I’m a big fan of the Browns, but I also see the Giants making the adjustments that they need on the defensive side of the ball. They also get to face a collection of no-names at quarterback when Kizer or Brock Osweiler isn’t on the field. I see the Giants improving on defense this week and controlling the pace of play much more effectively and finishing with a 27-19 win in Cleveland.