NFL Week 9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Cleveland Browns Preview

This week features a crucial cross conference matchup for two teams who are sitting in last place in their respective divisions, but who are far from out of the running at this point. The Buccaneers (1-6) find themselves only 2 games back in an NFC South division which features no teams over .500 for the season. The Browns (4-3) happen to sit behind 3 other AFC North teams all above .500. With intra-division games being played between the teams in front of the Bucs and Browns, a win in this spot would go a long ways toward righting the ship for these clubs.

The Past Week:
MIN 19 TB 13      OAK 13 CLE 23

The Breakdown:

The Browns have shown this season that they are able to hang with and even defeat quality NFL teams through a blend of good defense and a well balanced offensive attack featuring players with little name recognition outside of Ohio or fantasy football. 

Tampa Bay is not a quality NFL team. Through the first seven games of the NFL season, the Bucs rank dead last in total offense, averaging only 295 yards each game. The lack of skill along their offensive line coupled with interim Offensive Coordinator Marcus Arroyo's inability to serve in that capacity has stopped Tampa Bay from producing at a professional level this season.

Cleveland should be able to dominate on both sides of the ball, although watch for Tampa QB Mike Glennon to put up gaudy numbers once the game is out of hand and for rookie running back Charles Sims to excel in the role when compared to the running totals the Buccaneers has put up previously.

The History:
2010: Bucs 17 Browns 14

The Odds:
Browns -7
O/U 44

The Picks:
In this one, I like the Browns at home to beat a less developed team by more than a touchdown. Although Tampa Bay has looked decent at times this year, the mix of unproven running backs and a strong Cleveland defense should keep the scoring to a minimum.

Browns -7
Under 44