Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns Prediction, 8/17/2024 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Preseason Week 2

Game: Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns

Date: Saturday, August 17, 2024

Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, OH

TV: NFL+

Odds/Point Spread: Browns (-3)

Total/Over-Under: 37

The Cleveland Browns (11-6 last year) are welcoming the Minnesota Vikings (7-10 last season) at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Saturday. Cleveland opens this matchup as 3-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total is set at 37.

The Minnesota Vikings ended the season having a 7-10 record. When they last took the field, the Vikings took on the Raiders and earned the victory with a final of 3-0. Nick Mullens connected on 9/13 with 83 yds passing. He had a quarterback rating of 86.4 and finished the game without throwing an interception. Alexander Mattison was the rushing leader for the Vikings with 10 carries for 66 yds (6.6 yds per carry). T.J. Hockenson left with an average of 10.6 yards per reception by earning 53 yds on 5 catches. The Minnesota Vikings ended up running the ball 30 times and recorded 132 yds, which earned them an average of 4.4 yds per carry. Overall, they ran 71 plays which gave them a total of 231 yards. Minnesota allowed 21 completions on 32 attempts for a total of 146 yds, and a completion percentage of 65.6%. When it came to stopping the run, the Vikings conceded 56 yds on 17 tries, which is an average of 3.3 yds per run allowed.

In terms of scoring points, the Minnesota Vikings held an average of 20.2 PPG. As a team they maintained an average of 91.4 yds via the ground game, ranking them 29th in the league. The Vikings attained 5,912 total yards for the prior season. Minnesota had 220 1st downs offensively, and they were called for 89 infractions for 670 yds. They turned the ball over 34 times (19 interceptions and 15 fumbles). Minnesota compiled 30 touchdowns via the pass and 7 rushing touchdowns.

The Vikings were sitting in 13th in the NFL in terms of team defense, conceding 21.3 points per contest. They gave up an average of 3.8 yards per attempt on the ground and 98.7 rushing yards per game for the prior year. In total, they allowed 1,678 yards on the ground in 17 outings. Concerning yards through the air, the Vikings allowed 3,986 yards which had them ranked 24th in the National Football League. Over the course of their 17 games played, they conceded 234.5 yards per outing through the air in addition to relinquishing a completion percentage of 70.3%. They gave up 333.2 yards/contest which ranked them 16th in the NFL.

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The Browns wrapped up their year with a 11-6 record. The last time they stepped on the gridiron, the Browns walked away with a victory by a final of 31-27 when they faced the Jaguars. Joe Flacco (3 touchdowns) finished the contest with 311 yds on 26/45 passing while his QB rate was 92. He threw 1 pick and his average yards per pass attempt was 6.9 yds. Jerome Ford carried the ball 12 times for 51 yards, ending the contest with 4.3 yds per attempt for Cleveland. David Njoku was a featured target for the Browns, catching 6 balls for 91 yards (15.2 yds per reception). Cleveland ran the ball for 2.9 yards per tote, finishing the game with 82 yds on 28 attempts. The Browns finished the game with 389 yds while running 74 plays (5.3 yards per play). The Browns secondary allowed a completion rate of 56.0%, surrendering 235 yds on 28 for 50 through the air. Cleveland allowed 20 rush attempts for 58 yds (2.9 yards per carry).

Regarding the points being put on the board, the Browns sat 11th out of all teams in football averaging 23.3 PPG. Last season, the Browns compiled 3,693 passing yards in addition to an average of 217.2 passing yards per outing, which was ranked 19th in the league. They averaged 118.6 yards per game on the ground and rushed for 2,017 yards in total. The Cleveland Browns had an average of 335.9 yards/game ranking them 16th out of all teams in the league. The Cleveland offense compiled 897 penalty yds on 115 infractions, which was 3rd in the league in terms of helping out the other team. They gave away 23 interceptions while surrendering 14 fumbles and they earned 173 1st downs.

They surrendered 23 touchdowns through the air and 164.7 yards/outing, which had them in 1st in the NFL. Cleveland gave up a total of 1,793 yards rushing (105.5 yards/game) in addition to 15 touchdowns via the rush throughout last season. Over the course of the season, they conceded 362 points in total. They earned 28 takeaways (10 fumbles and 18 picks) in the previous season. The Browns defense was on the field for 1,004 plays, which was good for 1st in the league. The Browns conceded 21.3 PPG, ranking them 14th of all teams in the NFL.

Who will win tonight's Vikings/Browns NFL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Vikings +3

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