NFL Week 18 same game parlay (+861 odds): Cincinnati Bengals vs Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns quarterback Case Keenum (5) looks to pass during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, in Cleveland, Ohio

Andrew Ortenberg

NFL

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I'm an NFL handicapper here at Pickswise who was raised in a household full of sports fanatics. Since I unfortunately never had LeBron James' jumping ability I wasn't able to make it to the NBA, and chose writing about sports as the next best thing. An avid sports bettor myself, I'm excited to get to write about the industry as it gets set to take off across the country. Buckle up.

Updated: 5:59 AM ET January 09, 2022

The 2021 NFL season has been a wild ride, and the regular season wraps up today with a full Week 18 slate. The playoffs are almost here, and what better way to celebrate than by betting a same game parlay? We’ve got an AFC North rivalry matchup between the Bengals and Browns here, and I’ve cooked up an SGP for the occasion:

Here we go:

Cleveland Browns -5.5 (-115)

Over 49.5 alternate total (+460)

Parlay odds: +861

We have a 2-leg same game parlay, which pays out at north of 8/1 with FanDuel Sportsbook. Let’s break it down.

Cleveland Browns -5.5 (-115)

To start this same game parlay we’ve got Cleveland on the spread. Cincinnati has made it abundantly clear they don’t care about winning this game, announcing Joe Burrow would sit even when they still had a chance to win the AFC’s top seed. Thanks to the Chiefs winning on Saturday they now have zero chance at that top seed, meaning even more guys will likely be resting. The Browns, on the other hand, have a lot of motivation.

Even though they won’t be going to the playoffs, this is still their final home game in front of their fans. They’re also coming off a humiliating loss to the Steelers on national television, so they should be coming out angry. At this point, there’s not much of a downgrade from Baker Mayfield to Case Keenum. On the flip side, there’s an enormous downgrade from Burrow to Brandon Allen.

Over 49.5 alternate total (+460)

To wrap up this same game parlay and give us the juicy odds boost, we’ve got an alternate over. If Saturday was any indication, it looks like some of these ‘meaningless’ Week 18 games are going to be higher-scoring. Chiefs vs Broncos and Cowboys vs Eagles both went soaring over their respective totals as defensive intensity lapsed. The Bengals are already used to playing in shootouts, and each of their past two games have seen 62+ total points scored. Cleveland’s passing game should actually look better here given how bad Mayfield has been in recent weeks.