CLEVELAND — Six days removed from their 26-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7-1), the Cleveland Browns (7-9) will return to action to face the Cincinnati Bengals in their 2021 regular-season finale.
What follows is everything you need to know about the Browns' Week 18 matchup:
Game info, how to watch on TV, betting line:
Date: Monday, January 9, 2022
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio
TV channel: FOX
Streaming: FoxSports.com
Radio: ESPN 850, 92.3 The Fan, 98.5 WNCX
Betting line: Browns -6.5
Over-under point total: 37.5
Game preview:
Having already been eliminated from postseason contention, the Browns enter their 2021 regular-season finale with little left to play for outside of their draft positioning and 2022 schedule -- and even then, it would actually behoove Cleveland to lose. Additionally, quarterback Baker Mayfield has opted to sit out Sunday's contest as he prepares to undergo surgery on the torn labrum in his left shoulder that has hindered his play for the better part of the 2021 season.
Nevertheless, the Browns enter Sunday as a near-touchdown favorite, as the Bengals, who have already locked up the AFC North, have decided to rest several key players, including star quarterback Joe Burrow. What was once looking to be a primetime game with a division title on the line will now be a game likely decided by lineups full of backups, including at quarterback, where Case Keenum will start for Cleveland and Brandon Allen will start for Cincinnati.
The Browns' 2021 campaign opened with lofty expectations and a high-profile matchup in Kansas City. Its closing, however, couldn't be any more different.