Ben Fawkes, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

Cleveland Browns open as favorite for first time since 2015

null, NFL, Cleveland Browns

Many people assumed the Cleveland Browns would be 0-2 to start the season, but most probably did not predict how competitive the games would be, especially with rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer starting.

Las Vegas is taking notice.

At the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, Cleveland opened as a 2.5-point road favorite at the Andrew Luck-less Indianapolis Colts in Week 3. It's the first time that the Browns have been favored since Week 14 of the 2015 season, when they were a two-point favorite against the San Francisco 49ers (the Browns won 24-10).

It's also the first time that Cleveland has been a road favorite since Week 7 of the 2014 season, when the Browns were 4.5-point favorites in Jacksonville. The Browns lost to the Jaguars 24-6.

Per ESPN Stats & Information, Cleveland has the fewest games (9) as a road favorite over the past 20 seasons. The next-closest teams are Houston and Detroit with 26. However, the Browns have the highest cover percentage (78 percent) as a road favorite over that time span.

Early betting at the Westgate on Sunday night moved the line down to Cleveland -1.5.

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