Could This Be Cleveland's Week to Win a Game?
If ever there was a play that had a stat flashing out in the brightest of reds, it may be this one:
With John Fox at the helm, the Chicago Bears are 0-7 when they're favored at home.
Is it possible?
Are the numbers gods really smiling on the woebegone Cleveland Browns?
This weekend, they're taking their hopes and dreams for a victory -- just one victory -- to Soldier Field for a meeting with the inept 4-10 Bears.
It's as if Cubness fled Wrigley Field and cast its black cloud over the Meeksters of the Midway.
So, what happens when a resistable force meets movable object?
Well, let's have a quick look at the usual numbers:
Amazingly, Cleveland actually stacks up fairly well, with the exception of that road-dog record against the spread.
Two weeks ago, Chicago put a game together and smashed the mediocre Cincinnati Bengals, 33-7, as QB Mitch Trubisky must've rolled sevens and had a day:
But then they wet the bed in Detroit last week, losing 20-10.
Still, the feeling persists that Chicago seems too incompetent to cover 6.5 points over Cleveland, much less cover.
After all, the Browns were unlucky to fall to Green Bay, 27-21, in overtime.
Blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter will cause that to happen:
The Browns looked to still be suffering a hangover from that one when they lost to Baltimore, 27-10, last week.
Overall, it doesn't take Captain Obvious to note the Bears are not the Ravens.
Here's my ATS pick ...
DeShone Kizer needs another day like he had against the Packers, but even then, that panic INT is unsettling.
Even more so since the Bears do play aggressive defense, and they look tough at home.
However, next week, Cleveland finishes the season against a Pittsburgh squad that needs to win to keep pressure on the Patriots for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. It's now or never if the Browns are gonna avoid the Hall of Shame.
As Jeff Goldblum's character famously said in Jurassic Park, life finds a way.
But there's no life in Cleveland to begin with during the NFL season.
ATS pick ... Chicago -6.5
Result ... Bears 20 Browns 6 ... Chicago covers