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Browns at Bengals: Preview, prediction, odds and pick

By David Austin Bumpus

HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 23: A.J. Green No. 18 of the Cincinnati Bengals waits for a play in the second half of their game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 23, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 23: A.J. Green No. 18 of the Cincinnati Bengals waits for a play in the second half of their game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 23, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /
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In a battle featuring the bottom of the barrel in the AFC North, the Browns and the Bengals will go at it in the early slate of Week 12 games.

This game between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals has slowly gotten less and less intriguing as each week of the 2017 NFL regular season has come and gone, and it may have reached its peak as far as how lackluster it can be as we head into Week 12.

The Browns will head to Cincinnati for the battle, and will still be in search of their first win of the season after hitting double digits in the loss column last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the process, they’ll look to further bury a divisional rival in the AFC North in the Bengals.

The Bengals, on the other hand, will look to avoid embarrassment as they hope to dodge being the first team to lose to the Browns in 2017. They haven’t had a strong season so far, sitting at third in the AFC North, and a loss to one of their divisional rivals would surely just add salt to the wound.

Odds: Bengals -8, according to Odds Shark

The odds being in single digits for this game just go to show how bad the Bengals have been in 2017 with their 4-6 record, but they still have a chance to jump back in the hunt for second if they pull out the victory at home.

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There are two ways to look at this game: either the Browns will continue to tank to get the top pick in the draft, especially after the New York Giants’ upset victory over the Kansas City Chiefs last week, or they’ll be hungrier than ever for a win. I see the former happening, with the Bengals gaining the win to keep the Browns’ winless season going for at least one more week.

Prediction: Bengals 17, Browns 6

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