NFL Week 10 parlay: Bounce-backs for Browns, Cards, Bears
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Nope. Week 9 was flat out disastrous for our parlay, and let's leave it at that.
Better results are in store for us starting in Week 10.
Browns ML -180 (vs. Texans), Nov. 15 @ 1 p.m. ET
Baker Mayfield couldn't have asked for a better opponent coming out of the bye than a Texans defense ranking 27th in efficiency. We've seen time and time again how Mayfield's splits are drastically different based on the quality of the team the Browns are facing. The 25-year-old is completing over 70% of his passes with nine touchdowns and two interceptions against defenses ranking in the bottom 10 in efficiency - disregarding the Raiders game for weather-related reasons - and owns a 63% completion rate with six touchdowns to five interceptions against the rest of his opponents.
Houston falls into the former category and while Mayfield could find success here, he might not even need to. The Texans are second-worst in the NFL against running backs, allowing 5.1 yards per rush, while Cleveland is managing 5.0 yards per carry on offense - fourth-best in the NFL. The Browns will have their way on offense, pounding the rock down the heart of this Houston defense and keeping Deshaun Watson on the sideline as they grind out a comfortable win.
Cardinals ML -130 (vs. Bills), Nov. 15 @ 1 p.m.
Josh Allen returned to form last week and deserves all the credit in the world, as does the coaching staff, for catching the Seahawks completely off guard. But Seattle ranks 24th in defensive efficiency - a common theme among the Bills' opponents this season. The Cardinals rank 10th, by far the best of any defensive unit Buffalo has faced on the road this campaign. Arizona also ranks ninth in offense - one spot ahead of the Bills' pedestrian defense, which allows 4.6 yards per rush and 7.1 yards per pass.
Buffalo laying a beating on the Seahawks, a team on a historically bad pace defensively, and the Cardinals losing to the Dolphins, who are drastically improved from their Week 2 meeting with the Bills, are both fresh on everyone's memory. Buffalo won't have an answer for Kyler Murray's antics, and with Patrick Peterson blanketing Stefon Diggs, this will be a much tougher test for Allen as the Bills fall to 7-3.
Bears ML +135 (vs. Vikings), Nov. 16 @ 8:15 p.m.
I know what you're thinking: The Vikings come into this game as one of the league's hotter teams, while the Bears are slumping to new lows on offense. But don't let recency bias cloud your judgment. Dalvin Cook has run wild for Minnesota the last two weeks and has 499 rushing yards in its three wins.
The thing is, each of those opponents are among the worst run defenses in the league while Chicago ranks seventh in efficiency against the rush. Cook has had a miserable time in three career games against a Bears team that's limited him to just 86 yards on 34 carries. Minnesota's inability to get the ground game going against strong defenses puts added pressure on Kirk Cousins, who probably never wants to see this Chicago squad again. Cousins is 0-3, has been sacked 12 times, and has posted QB ratings of 22.9, 23.5, and 67.6 in three games against them as a Viking.
Soldier Field is a house of horrors for Minnesota's defense, which - despite improving as of late - is a perfect elixir for a struggling Bears offense. The Vikings' secondary is thin and they have virtually no pass rush to speak of. Nick Foles will have a more comfortable evening in the pocket on what is shaping up to be a big night for Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, and Anthony Miller.
Full parlay: Browns ML, Cardinals ML, Bears ML ($100 to win $547)
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.