The Browns opened with a relatively modest moneyline advantage. Yet the betting overview on this game has been turned upside down in the last couple of days.
The first domino to fall was the announcement that Jets receiver Quincy Enunwa would be sidelined indefinitely with a neck injury. Then, the big shoe dropped—the revelation that mono was going to knock quarterback Sam Darnold out of for multiple games—sending the Browns’ projected edge soaring. Cleveland is now a -270 ML favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook. They carry an even more massive -286 number at DK and 888 Sport.
The elevated numbers aren’t surprising, considering it’s Trevor Siemian taking over under center in New York. Siemian was nothing if not lackluster while appearing in 25 games for the Broncos in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He’s also down one wideout in Enunwa. And although the arrival of Siemian’s former Broncos teammate Demaryius Thomas could help in time, the latter is still recovering from a hamstring injury and learning the playbook.
Finally, although he’s proclaimed himself as healthy, Le’Veon Bell still missed practice Thursday to get an MRI on his sore shoulder. Granted, this is likely just some residual soreness from Bell having played his first NFL game since January 2018. But it’s yet another minor black mark on the Jets’ overall offensive outlook. Then, both C.J. Mosley (groin) and Jamal Adams (hip) are nursing injuries on the other side of the ball. Mosley missed his second straight practice Thursday while Adams was limited.