It wasn’t an ideal opening week in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
The two Ohio-based teams will look to rebound when they kickoff Week 2 of the season.
Can Ohio sports bettors cash in on this matchup?
Oddsmakers favor the Browns at home
The Browns will play host to the Bengals on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 8:20 p.m. ET. The game airs live on the NFL Network.
According to oddsmakers at DraftKings, the Browns are the clear favorite in this game. They are getting odds of -6 points against the Bengals. The over/under is listed at 44 points.
If looking for a straight-up wager, the Browns are getting -265 odds to win on Thursday. The Bengals have +210 odds to win on the road.
FanDuel sportsbook lists the Browns as a -5.5 favorite against the Bengals, while their money line is at -255. The Bengals are listed at +210, while the over/under is at 43.5.
BetMGM lists the Browns as a 6-point favorite and at -250 on the money line. The Bengals are at +210, while the over/under is listed at 43.5.
The Bengals have won seven of the last 10 in this series and covered the spread in eight of the last 10 against the Browns.
Browns come up flat in opening loss
Another offseason of shaking things up did little for the Browns in Week 1.
New general manager Andrew Berry and new head coach Kevin Stefanski saw their Browns suffer a 38-6 loss on the road to the Baltimore Ravens.
Turnovers and failure to convert on third downs were key in the loss. Cleveland lost the turnover battle to Baltimore 3-1.
The Browns were just 3-for-12 on third down and 0-for-3 on fourth down.
Baker Mayfield underwhelmed, throwing for 189 yards on 21 of 39 passing attempts. He was sacked twice and threw one interception.
Mayfield did connect with David Njoku for a 1-yard touchdown pass in their lone score in the first quarter. However, Austin Seibert missed the extra point.
One positive for Cleveland was its run game, which produced 138 yards in the loss. Kareem Hunt rushed for a team-high 72 yards on 13 carries.
Nick Chubb added 60 yards on 10 carries.
Defensively, Cleveland gave up 270 passing yards to Lamar Jackson. Jackson carved up the Browns on 20 of 25 passing attempts with three touchdowns.
Missed kick spoils Burrow’s Bengals debut
The Bengals opened their 2020 season with a 16-13 loss at home to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Cincinnati had a chance to force overtime in the closing seconds. However, kicker Randy Bullock missed a 31-yard field goal when he injured his calf on the attempt.
The missed kick spoiled the debut of new head coach Zac Taylor and No. 1 draft pick Joe Burrow.
Burrow showed promise in his first game, going 23 of 36 passing attempts for 193 yards. He had one interception and was sacked three times. However, he also rushed for 46 yards and the lone touchdown.
Bullock actually hit a 50-yard and 43-yard field goal in the third quarter to put the Bengals up 13-6, but the Chargers scored 10 points in the fourth to win.
Joe Mixon led the team in rushing with 69 yards on 19 carries, but also lost a fumble.
A.J. Green was the leading receiver with five receptions for 51 yards.
Surrounding states eager to take your wagers
While Ohio sports betting isn’t legal as of yet, sports bettors in the state still have a lot of options to consider if they want to wager on the game.
To the west, Indiana is coming off its best month for sports wagering since February. The Hoosier State currently has eight online sportsbooks up and running.
To the north, Michigan continues to expand its sports betting options. The state has nine retail sportsbooks in operation. Three of those are commercial sportsbooks located in Detroit.
To the east, Pennsylvania has 12 retail sportsbooks in operation as well as online sportsbook options.
In the south, West Virginia has three retail sportsbook options for Ohio bettors to consider as well.