If you watched the Browns’ horribly depressing loss to the Panthers on Sunday, you probably passed out by the time Phil Dawson kicked a seemingly meaningless 32-yard-field goal at game’s end. You probably peeled your head from the living room floor, saw we were down by eight, bonged another High Life to your painted face, and returned to your nap.
Ah, Sundays. The Lord’s Day.
But if, like many upstanding Americans, you’d placed a wager on the game with some jolly, blunt-smoking dude in Antigua, Dawson’s field goal was anything but meaningless. And for some gamblers, it secured a very important streak.
You see, the Browns might suck, but as far as Vegas is concerned, they’re getting better. After failing to cover the spread in their first two losses, Romeo’s boys have covered (or pushed, depending on the line) in their last three contests. They surprised the gambling world in losing by just one to then-undefeated Baltimore, which was favored by a touchdown. The Browns closed as a one-point favorite against the Raiders; they stormed back to win and — more important — cover.
Sunday they were eight-point underdogs, according to ESPN.com, and 7.5-point dogs elsewhere. Down by 11 as time ran thin, it looked liked the Panthers would cover. But Romeo apparently had a parlay going. He opted for a quick field goal to get within — yes! — eight, meaning the Browns covered at worst. If you talked your friendly neighborhood bookie into shaving that spread down to 7.5, then yippee. The Browns are three for their last three.
They’re off this week. And yet, they’re still listed as four-point dogs. — Joe P. Tone
This article appears in Oct 4-10, 2006.