New York Jets vs. Cleveland Browns Matchup Preview (12/27/20): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

The New York Jets will take on the Cleveland Browns at home for week 16 of the NFL season. The New York Jets just took their first win of the season last game against the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams. However, it has cost them the number one draft pick for next year’s draft at the moment because the Jacksonville Jaguars hold the tie-breaker. The Cleveland Browns had a relatively easy win in a low scoring matchup over the New York Giants last week to improve their record to 10-4. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the New York Jets vs. Cleveland Browns Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, December 27th, 2020
Time: 1:05 PM ET
Location: MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV Coverage: CBS

Jets vs. Browns Live Stream

Where can you watch Jets vs. Browns online? You can stream this game and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Jets vs. Browns Free Online Now.

Injuries:

New York Jets: Questionable: Jeff Smith, Quinnen Williams, IR: Harvey Langi
Cleveland Browns: Questionable: Andrew Sendejo, Sheldon Richardson Doubtful: Wyatt Teller, IR: Chris Hubbard

New York Jets Analysis

The New York Jets may have made a fatal mistake by winning against the Los Angeles Rams last game to take their first win of the season. The Jets now have lost the number one pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars and have a large chance of missing out on quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the draft, who is the unanimous number one draft choice. However, after an impressive win last week the Jets’ gameplan is unknown and will be facing the Browns.

Sam Darnold may keep his tenure after leading the Jets to their first win last week. Despite having the clear choice of having Trevor Lawrence in the draft, they have lost that honor. Darnold threw for 207 yards and one touchdown while only being sacked twice in their win. Darnold connected with second-year running back Ty Johnson for a receiving touchdown in the first quarter. The Browns’ secondary lacks in their defense, as they rank 22nd in both passing yards and touchdowns per game. However, the Browns produce 2.5 sacks per game, which is 12th in the NFL.

Frank Gore made it look like he was in prime fashion last game with 69 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown against one of the better rushing defenses in the league. He and Ty Johnson combined for two total touchdowns for the Jets last game, and they will have another shot at success next week. The Cleveland Browns, however, rank in the top half for rushing yards per game allowed and rushing yards per attempt, with just 4.3 yards. Gore and Johnson will have a bit of a tough time against them next week.

The Jets’ defense saved them in the last game against the Rams by only allowing 20 points to the Rams and just two touchdowns. They caused three sacks and five tackles for loss against the Rams while producing an interception. The defense has been one of their biggest struggles all year, as the Jets have allowed 29.5 points per game, which ranks 29th for the NFL. The defense will need to focus on their strength of containing the run game, which they have done well this season. But the Browns have figured their way of passing the ball with Baker Mayfield now too.

New York Jets Depth Chart

QB: Sam Darnold
RB1: Le’Veon Bell
RB2: Frank Gore
WR1: Breshad Perriman
WR2: Denzel Mims
WR3: Jamison Crowder
TE: Chris Herndon

Cleveland Browns Analysis

The Cleveland Browns improved their record to 10-4 last game with a win over the New York Giants. They have a great shot at making the playoffs and taking over the division too. The Browns need to keep winning to stay in the competitive AFC playoff picture. They have the Ravens behind them at 9-5 and the Steelers falling above them at 11-3 with a tough schedule for them. The Browns have been offered a pretty easy matchup next week and will look to keep improving their record.

Baker Mayfield was super efficient last game against a tough Giants’ defense by completing 84.3% of his passes last game for 297 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with Jarvis Landry and tight end Austin Hooper to get it done in the passing game. The Jets offer one of the worst secondaries in the NFL by allowing the highest completion percentage per game (70.36%) and the third-most passing yards (279.8) and passing touchdowns (2.1) per game.

The run game was led by Nick Chubb’s last game with 15 carries for 50 yards and one rushing touchdown last game. Kareem Hunt did not have quite the week he had two weeks ago against the Baltimore Ravens but still managed seven carries for 21 yards and three catches out of the backfield. The New York Jets have a very solid run defense, ranking near the top ten in rushing yards per game, rushing touchdowns per game, and just 4.0 yards per attempt on the season.

Importantly, for the Browns’ defense, they allow just over 64% of passes against them to be completed. This is vital because Sam Darnold has one of the worst completion percentages this season, with just 59.7% of passes completed this season. The defense has allowed 26.7 points per game to their opponents this season, which ranks below average in the NFL. However, if they can put a lid on the Jets’ passing game, they should be good to go.

Cleveland Browns Depth Chart

QB: Baker Mayfield
RB1: Nick Chubb
RB2: Kareem Hunt
WR1: Odell Beckham Jr.
WR2: Jarvis Landry
WR3: Rashard Higgins
TE: Austin Hooper

Betting Corner Jets +9.5

Spread: +/- 9.5
Moneyline: Browns -455, Jets +340
Over/Under: 47

Prediction

Spread: Jets +9.5
Moneyline: Browns -455
Over/Under: u47

The Cleveland Browns cannot take any chances in the AFC playoffs. There could be a 10-win team that could be left out of the playoffs, and the Browns will want to take this easy matchup to the bank with no issues. However, the Browns have only covered 6-8 spread while the Jets have covered 5-9 this season. Since this could likely be a low scoring game, I expect the Jets to cover the large spread. They have covered one spread already this season where they are unfavored by nearly 10 points.

The Jets are 6-8 when playing the over/under, and the Browns are 8-6, favoring the over. However, both of these teams saw low scoring games last week. I expect the under to be the pick for this weekend.

Love/Hate Fantasy Picks

Love

Austin Hooper had a great week last week against the New York Giants while putting up his third receiving touchdown of the year. He could be targeted a bit more and has the opportunity for a big game against the Jets, who have allowed the most fantasy points to tight ends this season.

Hate

Frank Gore had himself a nice game last week with a rushing touchdown, however, his fantasy value is purely based upon his ability to get into the endzone. Moreover, he splits more carries with Ty Johnson in the backfield. I would anticipate that against the Cleveland Browns rushing defense, which has allowed the eighth least amount of fantasy points to running backs this season, should be able to contain Frank Gore next weekend.