NFL Week 14 teaser: Browns, Vikings, Texans
Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.
It was Upset City in the NFL last week. Though we did have the Cincinnati Bengals win outright, nothing else went according to plan.
There are a lot of intriguing teaser options this week. But, as is always the case in the NFL, upsets are par for the course, so let's pick our spots accordingly.
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
Line: Browns -7.5
Teaser line: Browns -0.5
On the surface, this seems like a nothing game for a couple of teams looking ahead to the offseason. But Freddie Kitchens is coaching for his job at this point, and a loss to the Bengals would be a good way to ensure he's unemployed come January.
It's been hard to find many positives for Cleveland in a disaster of a season, but the schedule hasn't been kind to the Browns, either. Through 12 games, they've faced nine teams that currently have winning records, including five of the league's top six teams overall. Aside from a loss in Denver, the Browns have won the games they've been expected to win - against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins - and also managed more impressive victories over the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The end-of-season narrative in Cleveland will be the same as it's been for what feels like the past 20 years, and it's fair to say it's warranted. Still, the Browns have the chance to finish the year strong, with the Bengals (twice), Arizona Cardinals, and a home game against the Ravens left on their schedule. The meaningless late-season push begins this week. Cleveland should run its way to a comfortable victory against a Cincinnati defense that ranks dead last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game and 29th in yards per rush.
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
Line: Vikings -12.5
Teaser line: Vikings -5.5
While Kitchens still has a fighting chance to save his job, the Lions should have no hesitation moving on from Matt Patricia at the end of the season. Injuries haven't helped his cause, but this team is simply an absolute mess on both sides of the ball.
The defense ranks near the bottom of the league in every important category - 25th in points per game, 29th in yards per game, 28th in yards per play, 29th in third-down conversion, and 24th in red-zone scoring percentage - and the offense has been generally dysfunctional without Matthew Stafford. The result? Four straight losses, including an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Washington Redskins.
This is exactly the sort of game the Vikings need coming off a short week after losing a very winnable game in Seattle. With or without Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen, the offense will have its way with a Lions defense that's pretty much quit on the season. Minnesota's defense, meanwhile, should be in for a massive bounce-back effort against a Detroit offense led by David Blough and Bo Scarbrough.
The Vikings are 24-8-3 against the spread as home favorites under Mike Zimmer, and we don't even need them to cover the number here. This game has blowout written all over it as Minnesota hammers another nail in Patricia's coffin.
Denver Broncos at Houston Texans
Line: Texans -9
Teaser line: Texans -2
Drew Lock registered 59 of his 134 passing yards last week on two plays: A touchdown pass requiring a phenomenal one-handed catch from Courtland Sutton, and a meaningless 33-yard completion underneath to end the first half with the defense set up to defend the Hail Mary. He had 74 yards through the air otherwise, managing just 2.9 yards per attempt.
Why it took the Los Angeles Chargers so long to start blitzing will remain a mystery - they rank dead last in the NFL in blitz percentage - but they finally did in the second half, and Lock was absolutely lost. The Broncos managed just four first downs in the second half, including two by virtue of penalties and another on a 12-yard Phillip Lindsay run. Lock had 11 second-half passing yards and completed just six passes - five to his running backs and one to a tight end.
Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel is going to blitz the ever-loving heck out of Lock and make him wildly uncomfortable in the pocket, and a hostile Houston crowd won't make life any easier for the rookie signal-caller. Denver should struggle to move the ball.
Don't buy into the notion that this is a sandwich spot for the Texans after they beat the New England Patriots and have the Tennessee Titans on deck. This is December football. Every game is crucial, especially with the Texans chasing the division crown.
Full teaser: Browns -0.5, Vikings -5.5, Texans -2 ($100 to win $135)
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.