Week 13 Spread Reflects Rams As Heavy Favorite Over Browns

Week after week the Browns continue to be faced with more injuries to key players and a mystery box of a quarterback situation that seems to have finally caught up with them.

Heading into a key Week 13 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland opened up as +4.5 according to the SI Sportsbook. It's the second largest spread the Browns have faced this season behind their Week 6 win over San Francisco where they entered the game as 9.5-point underdogs.

The Browns are 6-4-1 against the spread this season.

One of the most likely reasons for the number leaning more heavily in the Rams favor is that the week begins with more uncertainty at the quarterback position for Cleveland. In Sunday's 29-12 loss to the Denver Broncos, rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson exited the game in the third quarter after a forceful hit to the head from safety Baron Browning that left the Browns starter spitting up blood. Thompson-Robinson ultimately went into the NFL's concussion protocol and was not cleared to come back into the game.

Asked in his postgame press conference about whether or not the fifth-round pick would start if he does clear the league's protocols, head coach Kevin Stefanski simply stated that he'd see how he progresses this week.

On the flip side, the Rams, while flawed, are coming off of a get-right game of sorts that saw them rout Arizona Cardinals, 37-14. Veteran Matt Stafford threw for 229 yards and four touchdowns in the win, while running back Kyren Williams rushed for 143 yards on 16 carries. LA enters Week 13 on a two-game win streak, while Cleveland just saw an impressive three-game win streak of its own snapped in Denver.

Also concerning for the Browns is the ominous unknown surrounding star pass rusher Myles Garrett, who was seen in a sling postgame and reportedly couldn't lift his left arm. Garrett told reporters that he felt something pop during the game. He's having an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury and if it's a prolonged situation, it could make navigating this home stretch of games a much more difficult task for Cleveland.