Browns vs Commanders preseason Week 1

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The NFL Preseason got off to a fine start for both the Cleveland Browns and rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. It was Robinson who led a late rally for a 21-16 victory over the New York Jets, giving the Browns a win in their home state during the annual NFL Preseason bow in Canton, Ohio.

Oddsmakers are expecting that the Browns will be maintaining their roll into their second preseason game, as they play host to the Washington Commanders. Cleveland has been established as a three-point home favorite over Washington. The game is slated for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Friday, August 11 at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Cleveland’s win over the Jets left the Browns with a 2-2 straight up record through their past four NFL Preseason games. The Browns went 1-2 SU during the 2022 preseason, including an 0-2 slate at home. Against the spread, Cleveland is 3-1 through the past four games. The Browns are also proving to be a solid over bet on the total, going 3-0-1 in the last four contests.

There’s been nothing but bad news for Washington on the preseason gridiron. Last season, the Commanders went 0-3 SU, extending their active exhibition season losing skid to four games. Washington was 1-2 ATS last season and 1-2 on the total.

Since the Browns were reborn in 1999, these two teams have met five times in NFL Preseason play. Straight up, the Commanders own a 4-1 edge. However, the Browns were winners of the most recent game, posting a 30-10 home victory over Washington in 2019. Three of the five games have been decided by a margin of a field goal or less.

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Betting trends from the 2022 NFL Preseason show that home teams were quite a success story. The home squad went 27-14-4 ATS (two games went off as pick’em and one was a neutral site game). That’s a .644 winning percentage. Straight up, the home-team advantage was also strong. Home teams went 30-18, a win rate of .625.

Another trend to keep in mind - during the first week of the NFL Preseason last year, factoring in the Hall of Fame Game, the over went 14-3. As well, the Las Vegas Raiders, winners of last year’s Hall of Fame Game, followed up with a home-field victory in their next preseason contest.

Still seeking to scrape the rust off his game, the Browns will be starting No. 1 QB Deshaun Watson in Friday’s game. However, it’s unclear how many series Watson will get under center before he’s replaced.

Watson sat out all of the 2021 season in a contract dispute with his previous team the Houston Texans. Last season, his first in Cleveland, he was under NFL suspension for the first 11 games, and wasn’t sharp in the six games he played.

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While declining to get into specifics, Browns head coach Kevin O’Connell indicated that the majority of his starters will be seeing playing time in Cleveland’s preseason home opener. O’Connell did suggest that the starters would only see action for between 1-3 series. Historically, he’s not been a coach who likes to put his starters into preseason action.

Behind Watson, the battle for the third-string QB position between veteran Kellen Mond and rookie Thompson-Robinson will be continuing. Intrigue was created when Robinson went three-for-five for 31 yards, including a 22-yard TD strike to Austin Watkins, and ran for an additional 30 yards in leading the Browns’ comeback win. He even threw a vital block as Demetric Felton scampered 16 yards for a touchdown.

Browns kicker Cade York did himself no favors in the Hall of Fame game. The second-year placement specialist pushed a 49-yard field goal wide right. Although he hit all three of his PAT attempts, none of them could be classified as solid efforts.

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Last season, York rated 30th among NFL kickers in field goal accuracy, hitting 24-of-32 attempts for a 75% success rate. He was 19-of-27 from 30+ yards, just a 70.37% conversion rate. York also missed two extra points, and one was costly in a 31-30 loss to the Jets.

Currently, York is the only kicker on the Cleveland roster. That being the case, there are always competent veteran kickers who will become available on the waiver wire over the next couple of weeks.

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