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<p>Week 3 of the 2021 NFL season continues Sunday, September 26, with plenty of interesting picks and markets to choose from, so we bring you the best Bears vs. Browns betting pick and odds along with the latest team stats, news, and betting trends.&nbsp;</p>



<p>According to <a href="https://www.bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betus/">BetUS Sportsbook</a>, the Cleveland Browns are firm 7-point home favorites, while the Chicago Bears are listed as +260 moneyline dogs at First Energy Stadium. The totals sit at 46.5 points, so let’s take a closer look, as Chicago meets Cleveland for the first time since 2017.</p>



<h2 id="h-the-bears-barely-outlasted-cincy-in-week-2"><strong>The Bears barely outlasted Cincy in Week 2&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></h2>



<p>The Chicago Bears (1-1; 1-1 ATS) bounced back from a heavy 34-14 defeat at the Los Angeles Rams in their opening clash of the 2021 season. They beat the Cincinnati Bengals as 2-point home favorites last Sunday, 20-17, but the Bears nearly blew a 17-point lead down the stretch, allowing a couple of touchdowns in a two-minute span.</p>



<p>Rookie QB Justin Fields played the second half against Cincy after Andy Dalton exited with a knee injury. Fields finished with 6-of-13 for 60 yards and an interception while rushing ten times for 31 yards. David Montgomery had 20 totes for 61 yards, while Darnell Mooney caught six of his eight targets for 66 yards.</p>



<p>The Bears racked up only 206 total yards in Week 2 but held the Bengals to 248. They picked off Joe Burrow three times, so Matt Nagy can be pleased with his defensive unit. Roquan Smith, who was one of the best Bears’ players in 2020, scored a 53-year pick six in the fourth quarter to make it 17-3.</p>



<h2><strong>The Browns returned to the winning ways but didn’t impress&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></h2>



<p>The Cleveland Browns (1-1; 1-1 ATS) are coming off a 31-21 home victory over the Houston Texans this past Sunday, bouncing back from a tough 33-29 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. The Browns took full advantage of Tyrod Taylor’s injury and outlasted the Texans in the second half after a 14-14 tie at the break.</p>



<p>Cleveland racked up 156 rushing yards against Houston’s leaky defense, keeping the ball in possession for 35 minutes. Nick Chubb had 11 carries for 95 yards and a TD, while Baker Mayfield tossed for 213 yards, a TD, and an interception, completing 19 of his 21 passing attempts. Mayfield scored once on his own, finishing the game with eight carries for ten yards.</p>



<p>The Browns missed Odell Beckham Jr. once more, while Jarvis Landry exited with a knee injury and will sit out next three games. Beckham has a good chance to suit up in Week 3, and the Browns desperately need their superstar wideout on the field as soon as possible. Odell tore his ACL in Week 7 of the 2020 season.</p>



<p><strong>Trends:</strong></p>



<p><strong>Chicago:</strong></p>



<ul><li>4-1 ATS in the last five games against Cleveland</li><li>6-0 ATS in the last six games against the AFC North</li></ul>



<p><strong>Cleveland:</strong></p>



<ul><li>1-5 ATS in the last six games at home&nbsp;</li><li>2-7 ATS in the last nine outings as favorites&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h2><strong>Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns Pick</strong></h2>



<p>The Browns are a run-first team and will continue to lean on their ground game, especially with Jarvis Landry on the IL. On the other side, the Bears are yielding just 3.3 rushing yards per carry. If Chicago replicates its aggressive defensive display from Week 2, the visitors will stand a chance of upsetting the odds in Cleveland.</p>



<p>Matt Nagy stated that Andy Dalton is still the first choice under center, but Justin Fields will get the nod should Dalton remains sidelined with a knee injury. Anyway, the Bears won’t win on the back of their offense. I think their defense will keep them close, so with seven points on the table, give me the Bears to cover.</p>



<p><strong>Pick: Take Chicago Bears +7.0 at -110&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p><strong>The Total:</strong></p>



<p>My best Bears vs. Browns betting pick is the under on the totals. I’m expecting a proper defensive battle, while both teams should lean on rushing a lot, so combining for 47 or more points will be a challenge.</p>



<p>The under has hit in five of the Browns’ last eight outings as favorites, and just two of those eight tilts produced more than 46 points in total. Also, the under is 6-1 in Chicago’s previous seven games against the AFC.</p>



<p><strong>Pick: Go under 46.5 points at -110</strong></p>

Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns Odds, Pick, Prediction 9/26/21

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<img class="alignleft wp-image-599031" src="http://bangthebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/first-5-innings-icon.png" alt="" width="150" height="150" />First five inning betting has really grown in popularity in recent years. Instead of <a href="/mlb-money-line-betting-tips/">betting the money line</a>, <a href="/betting-mlb-totals/">total</a>, or <a href="/betting-mlb-run-lines/">run line</a> for all nine innings of a game, bettors can decide to bet the first five innings of a game.

In that scenario, <strong>bets are graded the same as the full game, just with a shorter number of innings.</strong>

Perhaps bettors got tired of bullpens blowing games or they realized that there were more advantageous opportunities with this form of betting, but this really is a betting option that has gotten a lot more traction.
<ul>
 	<li>Lines are set for favorites and underdogs</li>
 	<li>Overs and unders are available</li>
 	<li>The bet is graded based on the first five innings of play</li>
 	<li>The full game favorite is going to be the favorite for the first five innings bets as well.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Why First Five Bets are Popular</h2>
One of the advantages to this style of betting is that the <strong>starting pitchers are generally going to be the only pitchers to perform</strong> in the first five innings, unless they have a really bad day or get hurt. The managers decide which bullpen pitchers will be used and bettors have no way to handicap those players because they don't know who will pitch.

<strong>Because we know the starting pitchers, we can home in more on what we expect out of them</strong>. That allows us the ability to have a better idea of what to plan is for during the game and also bet the game accordingly.
<h2>Differences in Odds When Betting MLB First Five Innings</h2>
Usually, there won't be big differences in the full game line and the first five line.

A great starting pitcher on a bad team may get more respect in the first five innings, but that bad team is still likely to be an underdog against a better team. The favorite may be a bigger favorite with a top starting pitcher on the mound, but usually the lines are very close.
<div class="blue-box">
<ul>
 	<li>A -125 favorite may be more like a -135 favorite on the first five innings money line. A +140 underdog may be more like +135 or +130 depending on the pitcher. For the most part, the lines will be in the same range.</li>
 	<li>Totals are going to be about half of the full game total, but usually with half of a run added to the line. A total of 8 will have a first five innings total of 4 with extra juice or maybe 4.5. After all, five innings are more than half of a regulation nine-inning game.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2>Final thoughts on Betting MLB First Five Innings</h2>
There are few annoyances greater in this business than a bullpen blowing a lead, whether it is for the favorite or the dog. First five betting mostly takes this out of the equation. That being said, starting pitchers can certainly blow a lead to cost a first five bet in the middle innings.

In another <a href="http://bangthebook.com/mlb/mlb-betting/">MLB article here at BangTheBook</a>, you can read about starting pitchers and the <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/28506/baseball-therapy-is-there-a-times-through-the-order-penalty/">Times Through the Order penalty</a>, which is a big deal when it comes to first five betting.

Keep this betting option in mind as an alternative to betting full game money lines and totals because it can be very profitable and can have more edges.

Handicapping MLB First Five Inning Bet

Major League Baseball (MLB) might not be the most popular sport in the world to wager on, but it still presents a really good betting option. MLB betting comes in many different forms, and this is a season that presents plenty of betting opportunities as well.

Major League Baseball was founded all the way back in 1876, but the league has obviously gone through some major changes since that time. Most of the major rules are still in place, but the way that the game is played is now much different.

There are currently 30 teams in MLB, and every team plays 162 games during the regular season. MLB games typically start at the end of March, or early April, and the World Series wraps up during the first week of November.

MLB teams are split up into leagues and divisions, but there is now more crossover games than ever before. The American League and National League now operate under the same basic rules, and that keeps things similar regardless of what league you are looking at.

Knowing the best MLB betting sites &amp; sportsbooks is also important if you plan to bet on MLB, and this article will explore that as well. By the time you are done reading this article, you should be ready to bet on baseball.
<h2 id="h-where-to-bet-on-major-league-baseball" class="wp-block-heading">WHERE TO BET ON MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL</h2>
Here is a look at some of the best MLB sportsbooks that are out there in the industry:

Best MLB Betting Sites & Sportsbooks

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The National Football League (NFL) is easily the most popular sport in the United States, especially when it comes to betting. NFL betting puts up the biggest numbers every single year, and bettors are always looking for new betting options.

The NFL was founded all the way back in 1920 in Canton, Ohio, and that is where the Hall of Fame is located to this day. There were only a handful of teams in the league when it first started, but it didn’t take long for the league to grow.

There are now 32 teams in the NFL, and the league is broken up into two conferences and eight total divisions. Since the league just continues to be more and more popular, the league has added an extra regular season game for each team to play in.

NFL teams now play 17 total regular season games, and then the top seven teams in each conference advance to the postseason. The NFL regular season begins in September, and the Super Bowl is now played during the month of February.

When it comes to the NFL, the Super Bowl is the event that draws the most betting attention. This league isn’t going away anytime soon, and it’s actually started to become more of an international competition.

This article will not only cover the best NFL betting sites &amp; sportsbooks, but will also provide some tips on how to bet on the NFL.
<h3>Where to bet on NFL</h3>
Knowing where to find the best NFL sportsbooks is a big key if you want to have some success when wagering on this sport. Here are six of the best NFL sportsbooks to use, and all of them are going to be a little bit different.

&nbsp;

Best NFL Betting Sites & Sportsbooks

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<p>At 12:00 ET, the Red Wolves and Huskies clash at Cramton Bowl for a week 1 NCAAF matchup. Catch the action on ESPN, with the game set for Saturday, December 23rd. Arkansas State enters this non-conference game against the Huskies as 1 point road favorites. Keep reading to discover my insights and betting recommendations.</p><h3>ARKANSAS STATE RED WOLVES VS NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Arkansas State Red Wolves -1</p><p>This game will be played at Cramton Bowl at 12:00 ET on Saturday, December 23rd.</p><h3>WHY BET THE ARKANSAS STATE RED WOLVES:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 28-26 in favor of Arkansas State.</li><li>Not only will Arkansas State pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -1.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 53.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 54 points.</li></ul><h3>Can the Red Wolves Pull Off a Win at Montgomery?</h3><p>So far, the Arkansas State Red Wolves are 6-6, including going 2-4 on the road and 3-2 at home.</p><p>This season, Arkansas State has gone into all of their games as the underdog and have an ATS mark of 6-5. So far, their average scoring margin is -3.4 points per contest.</p><p>Arkansas State has put together an over/under record of 6-5 throughout this season. The average combined score in their games has been 58.9 points, and the standard over/under line has stood at 55.6 points.</p><p>As they prepare to face the Northern Illinois, the Red Wolves' offense is averaging 152.9 rushing yards per game and 4 yards per attempt. Nationally, they are 72nd in rushing yards and 70th in passing yards, on an average of 223.4 yards per matchup. Arkansas State has averaged 27.8 points per game so far. This figure places them 55th in the nation.</p><p>The Red Wolves defense will take the field with 23 sacks and are 1st QB hurries. When it comes to points allowed, they're at 31.2 points per game (133rd). Against the pass, the team is 155th in the NCAA, allowing 261.7 passing yards per game. Additionally, Arkansas State's run defense has 184.3 rushing yards per contest.</p><h3>Does Northern Illinois Have What it Takes to Win as Home Underdogs?</h3><p>The Northern Illinois Huskies take on the Arkansas State with a 6-6 record, including 2-3 on the road and 3-2 at home.</p><p>Northern Illinois' average scoring differential for the season is +4.1 leading to an ATS mark of 4-6. The Huskies have been favored seven times and the underdog in three games</p><p>This season, Northern Illinois holds an over/under record of 5-5. On average, their games have produced a combined total of 46.4 points, with the typical over/under line set at 47.4 points.</p><p>Northern Illinois comes into the game with an offense averaging 25.2, which places them at 67th in the NCAA rankings. Their passing game has them ranked 106th nationally, with an average of 186.2 passing yards. In the rushing department, they're 45th in the nation, with 416 rushing attempts per game for the season.</p><p>Coming into their matchup vs. Arkansas State, the Northern Illinois defense is 73rd in points allowed, giving up 21.2 points per game. So far, opponents have averaged 164.2 passing yards per game against them (18th in the country). Against the run, they're allowing 154 rushing yards, which ranks them 90th in college football.</p>

Arkansas State Red Wolves vs Northern Illinois Huskies Betting Pick & Prediction Camellia Bowl

<p>Looking to win big? The Cardinals and Wildcats face off at 7:00 ET on YT. The Wildcats are hosting the game at Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, FL. The Cardinals are favored in this non-conference showdown. The game's over/under is currently at 148.5 points.</p><h3>INCARNATE WORD CARDINALS VS BETHUNE-COOKMAN WILDCATS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats +1.5</p><p>This game will be played at Moore Gymnasium at 7:00 ET on Friday, December 1st.</p><h3>WHY BET THE BETHUNE-COOKMAN WILDCATS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-67 in favor of the Wildcats.</li><li>Not only will Bethune-Cookman pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +1.5.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 148.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 143 points.</li></ul><h3>Will Incarnate Word Live Up to Expectations on the Road?</h3><p>Today, Incarnate Word will face off against Bethune-Cookman in their 8th game of the season. So far this year, Incarnate Word has a 3-4 record. In their previous ten road games, including last year, Incarnate Word has a 2-8 record. Up to this point, Incarnate Word has been solid vs. the spread, sitting above .500 at 3-2-1. Specifically, in their last five games, they have a 3-1 ATS record.</p><p>So far, Incarnate Word's games have averaged 152.7 points per game with the average over/under line being 147 points. Over the course of the last five games, the Cardinals' games have averaged 156 points per game, along with an over/under record of 2-2.</p><p>Compared to their season average of 77.6 points per game, Incarnate Word struggled in their previous game. Against Jacksonville State, the Cardinals scored 65 points while finishing with a field goal percentage of 45.1%. Sky Wicks is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 20.1 as they approach today's matchup. In addition, Josiah Hammons brings a PPG average of 14 into the game.</p><p>So far, the Cardinals' defense is ranked 190th in the country at 77.1 points per contest. Against Jacksonville State, the Cardinals' defense gave up 67 points and did a good job not fouling. For the game, Jacksonville State only made 6 free-throws.</p><h3>Can the Wildcats Please their Home Crowd?</h3><p>Bethune-Cookman will be facing Incarnate Word in their 8th game of the season. So far, they have a 3-4 record. In their last ten home games, including those from last year, Bethune-Cookman has gone 3-7. Bethune-Cookman's ATS record is currently standing at 1-4, meaning they are below .500. However, in their last five games, the team has gone 2-1 vs. the spread.</p><p>Bethune-Cookman's games have, on average, featured 138.6 points per game leading to an over/under record of 2-3-0. Their average over/under line is currently 142.2 points so far. The Wildcats' have recorded an over/under record of 1-1 in their last three games, with their games averaging 151 points per game.</p><p>In contrast to their season average of 76.1 points per game, the Bethune-Cookman had a below average performance. They scored 48 points against Longwood and had a field goal percentage of 33.3%. The team's scoring leader is Zion Harmon, who holds an average of 14.6 as they head into today's matchup. Additionally, Jakobi Heady is averaging 14.1 points per game this season.</p><p>So far, the Wildcats' defense is ranked 99th in the country at 69.4 points per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Bethune-Cookman's defense has allowed opponents to shoot 43.2% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 36.7% this season.</p>

Incarnate Word Cardinals vs Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Betting Pick & Prediction 12/1/23