Why fading the Eagles in second preseason game against the Browns Thursday night is the best bet

The Philadelphia Eagles host the Cleveland Browns for the Birds’ second preseason game, and we’re sharing our Eagles vs. Browns predictions and pick for this faux football game.

The Eagles managed a late-game back-door cover against the Ravens in their first preseason game, but a failed two-point conversion led to the Ravens’ 24th consecutive preseason victory.

The Browns lost last week’s preseason game, but they’ve found something in a young rookie quarterback.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson (or, as I call him, DTR) was a firecracker at UCLA. Over his final two FBS seasons, he combined for over 5,500 passing yards and 1,200 rushing yards.

Chip Kelly’s Bruins used DTR’s athletic ability to create a dual-action rushing attack that ran over Pac-12 opponents.

DTR was fun to watch.

He announced himself to the NFL world during this preseason.

DTR is 17-for-21 passing for 184 yards and two touchdowns through two preseason games. He’s added 47 yards on the ground on only nine rushes (5.2 yards per carry).

So, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski announced he wants to see more from this young gun.

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Stefanski and the Cleveland coaching staff want to see what they have in this young gun, so I expect him to play plenty in this game against the defending NFC Champions.

And when DTR is pulled, the Browns will fall back on second-year quarterback Kellen Mond, who has played fine across his two preseason appearances (20-for-31, 171 yards, two TDs).

Meanwhile, the Eagles are coming off their Super Bowl run and don’t care to compete in these preseason games. Their roster is set in stone.

Philly covered against the preseason wagon Ravens in Week 1, but it was lucky. If Anthony Brown didn’t throw a pick-six with 40 seconds left, the Ravens would have taken a knee and won by seven, covering the six-point closing spread.

Before last week, Nick Srianni was 1-4-1 against the spread (ATS) in the preseason as head coach of the Eagles. He doesn’t care.

Meanwhile, Stefanski is 4-3-1 ATS in the preseason as head coach of the Browns. There is some level of motivation there.

With DTR, Mond and motivation, I love the Browns in this spot. We’re also catching over a field goal on the spread, which is great value for generally low-scoring, tight preseason football.

Browns +3.5 (-110) | Play to +3 (-110)

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