Browns vs Commanders Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for Week 17 (Scoring is Sparse at FedExField)

Browns vs Commanders Week 17 Game Info

2022 NFL Regular Season Game
Cleveland Browns (6-9, 2-5 Away) vs. Washington Commanders (7-7-1, 3-4 Home)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: FedExField — Landover, MD
Coverage: FOX

Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season features an exciting slate of matchups, including an inter-conference contest between the Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders.

The Browns' season-long woes continued last week as the offense was almost nowhere to be found in a 17-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints. On the other hand, the Commanders were busy being blown out, 37-20, by the San Francisco 49ers, extending the former's winless streak to three games.

Can Cleveland overcome its offensive struggles on the road? Or will Washington give the hometown crowd another reason to celebrate on New Year's Day?

Browns vs Commanders Odds & Spread

All NFL betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline: CLE (+112) | WSH: (-132)
Spread: CLE: +1.5 (-110) | WSH: -1.5 (-110)
Total: 40.5 —Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Commanders enter this contest as slight home favorites on the moneyline and spread on FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This inter-conference matchup also features an over/under of 40.5, which is a bit below average compared to the other Week 17 totals. 

Browns vs Commanders Prediction & Pick

Many expected Deshaun Watson to get off to a slow start after his 11-game suspension, but he's been worse than imagined. He only has a 57.7% completion rate in his first four starts, averaging just 175.8 passing yards per game while throwing 2 touchdowns to 3 interceptions. His poor play has resulted in Cleveland averaging 11.0 points over its last three games — the second-worst clip in the NFL during that span.

I see Watson having another rough game against Washington's solid defense. The Commanders allow the third-fewest completions (19.0) and seventh-fewest receiving yards (198.6) in 2022. Furthermore, they're tied for the 12th-most sacks (37) and also have 16 takeaways (T-No. 22)

It'll be a close game, but the Browns' shortcomings over the last few weeks have me siding with the Commanders here.

Final Score Prediction: Commanders: 19 | Browns: 16

Browns vs Commanders Betting Trends

- Cleveland is 1-5 straight up in its last six road games.
- Washington is 5-1-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last seven games against the AFC North.
- The total has hit the under in each of Cleveland's last five games.
- The total has hit the under in 10 of Washington's last 12 home games.

Browns vs Commanders Best Bet

Even though I expect the Commanders to be victorious, I don't think it'll be by a big margin. After all, Washington's home-scoring margin is minus-2.4, which is eighth-worst in the NFL.

This game has a 1.5-point spread for a reason and that's because it should be relatively close. Taking that and the above into account, the best way to capitalize on a Commanders victory is to take them winning by 1-to-10 points on Sunday.

Bet: Commanders Win Margin — 1-to-10 Points (+195)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.