The Cleveland Browns are among the NFL’s top favorites heading into their Week 3 matchup against the New York Giants, currently enjoying a 6.5-point spread over the 0-2 NFC East team.
While Browns fans have circled this game as a winnable matchup for some time, Cleveland does appear to be the better team heading into this contest.
While analyst Ryan Horvat does not disagree with the premise the Browns are the better team, the “BetMGM Tonight” contributor does dispute Cleveland’s spread reaching such a lofty number.
“This version of the Cleveland Browns in 2024 should not be laying seven or six and a half points,” Horvat said, adding, “Right now, I think Deshaun Watson is one of the worst quarterbacks in the league.”
"This version of the Cleveland Browns in 2024 should not be laying 6.5 points!"@RyanHorvat breaks down why he is fading the #Browns against the #Giants. pic.twitter.com/umO6PqLKU1
— BetMGM Tonight (@BetMGMTonight) September 21, 2024
Horvat explained his dispute with the larger spread of the Giants as a two-fold argument.
First, while the Giants have struggled offensively this season, the team does have an elite wide receiver in rookie Malik Nabors who can be a game-changer in today’s contest, and a strong defensive front that can create problems for any team it faces.
His second point of contention relied on the Browns offense, especially with Watson under center.
The analyst added that the Browns – who picked up the victory in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars – relied heavily on short plays as Watson averaged only 5.5 yards per passing attempt.
He added that the Giants could take advantage of the “beat up” offensive line as the team does not have offensive tackle Jack Conklin again for this contest, and New York has one of the highest pass-rush win rates in the league through the first two weeks.
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