National Football League

Football odds: Bet on the Browns to give the Cardinals their first loss

Updated Oct. 12, 2021 5:04 p.m. ET

By Sam Panayotovich
FOX Sports Betting Analyst

I'm still salty about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance getting stonewalled at the goal line by the Arizona defense in Week 5.

It was one of those plays that set the tone for the day if you bet the Niners.

Despite that loss, my best bets still finished 3-2 last week (13-11-1 YTD). Here are some early wagers for this coming weekend with lines via FOX Bet:

BYU (+6 at FOX Bet) @ Baylor

On Saturday, the Cougars outgained Boise State 413-312, but they turned the football over four times and lost 26-17 as six-point favorites.

Now BYU heads to Waco, and the early betting money showed for Baylor. The Bears opened -4.5 and were quickly bet up to -6. I strongly disagree with the move and think there's solid value in taking the points.

Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall is a dual-threat weapon, and he leads a balanced attack that should keep Baylor off balance.

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake is 8-2 in his last 10 games as an underdog.

PICK: BYU (+6) to lose by fewer than 6 points (or win outright)

Arizona Cardinals @ Cleveland Browns (-3 at FOX Bet)

I'm doing it again.

Arizona (5-0, 4-1 against the spread) continues to overachieve, and I'm betting that its luck runs out on the road in Cleveland. The Browns are still one of my highest-rated teams despite fourth-quarter collapses against the Chiefs and Chargers.

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is a tremendous player, but I like my chances with Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney chasing him around all afternoon. Murray will fill the stat sheet, but I think the Cleveland pressure will eventually force a costly mistake.

I'll lay this small number with the Browns at home.

PICK: Cleveland (-3) to win by more than 3 points

Six-point teaser: Buccaneers from -7 to -1; Panthers from +1 to +7 (-116 at FOX Bet)

If you are not familiar with a two-team teaser, it allows you to move a side or total six points. But, you must win both legs of the teaser to cash in.

Let's tease the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from -7 to -1 and Carolina Panthers from +1 to +7.

Sorry, I'm not sorry, but I don't foresee Jalen Hurts outdueling Tom Brady in primetime. You also get better value laying points with the Bucs on the road because the numbers aren't as bloated. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni hasn't impressed me with his play-calling, and I'll gladly take Tampa to just win the game.

For the second leg, I'll tease against Minnesota for the first this time season after keying in on them a couple of times. The Carolina combo of quarterback Sam Darnold and offensive coordinator Joe Brady is one of my favorites in the league, and turning the Panthers into a seven-point home dog is very intriguing.

Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and NESN. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. He'll probably pick against your favorite team. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot.

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