The New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns will face off in Week 3 of the NFL preseason tonight. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET from Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio. The game will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video.
The Patriots are favored by -2.5 with the over/under set at 34.5 total points. New England is a -142 favorite to win outright, while Cleveland is +120 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Patriots vs. Browns predictions and NFL picks for Thursday, August 27.
My Patriots vs Browns Prediction
- Patriots vs Browns pick: Taylen Green Over 24.5 Rush Yards (PrizePicks)
My Patriots vs Browns best bet is Taylen Green Over 24.5 Rushing Yards. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
Patriots vs Browns Odds
| Patriots Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 34.5 -118o / -104u | -142 |
| Browns Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 34.5 -118o / -104u | +120 |
Patriots vs Browns NFL Preseason Preview
New England Patriots Betting Preview: Restocking the Cupboard
The Patriots are entering the 2026 NFL season fresh off another Super Bowl appearance. The runners-up from last season did not stay the course this offseason and run the 2025 team back as they made significant moves to upgrade at wide receiver, one of their glaring weaknesses entering the offseason.
A.J. Brown, who was acquired via trade from the Eagles, provides the Patriots with an alpha perimeter WR1 for the first time in Drake Maye's career, while the addition of Romeo Doubs cushions the loss of Stefon Diggs.
The Patriots also were not complacent along the offensive line after taking OT Will Campbell atop the 2025 NFL Draft. They selected OT Caleb Lomu in the recent first round to fortify Drake Maye's protection after a shaky season.
This should be another contending season for the Patriots, but they will face a much tougher schedule than in 2025. They face four 2025 playoff teams — the Seahawks, Steelers, Jaguars, and Bills — to start the 2026 season. Luckily, they get a soft landing with the Jets and Raiders right after.
The offense should be fine regardless of the schedule, while their defense is what makes or breaks the hope of repeating an AFC Championship title.
Cleveland Browns Betting Preview: Young Talent On the Rise
The Browns have had another unfortunate offseason. They recently named $230 million-dollar man Deshaun Watson the Week 1 starter and will be forced to start him until it becomes impossible to proceed.
This relegates Shedeur Sanders to the bench, but does not preclude him from starting by the Week 3 home opener against Carolina.
With two road matchups against the Jaguars and Buccaneers to start the season, it is reasonable to believe Watson loses his job sooner rather than later. He has looked like the league's worst QB since joining Cleveland and carries incredible baggage with his off-field issues.
Meanwhile, Sanders was productive in 2025 and won three of his seven starts. He posted a respectable 6.6 yards per attempt and earned 169 yards on 20 total rush attempts.
The sophomore QB threw more interceptions than touchdowns and took a sack on nearly 10% of his dropbacks, yet he is still Cleveland's best option to win games this season.
Unfortunately, with 2025 DPOY Myles Garrett traded for Jared Verse, the Browns may not repeat the top-10 defense they posted last season.
However, they do have a plethora of young, exciting talent on both sides of the ball that can make the 2026 season bearable once Watson is out of the picture.
Patriots vs Browns Prediction, Betting Analysis
QB Taylen Green is finally getting an opportunity to showcase his talent in the Browns' final preseason game. He did not play during the Shedeur Sanders vs. Deshaun Watson QB battle.
With the top-two quarterbacks resting for Week 3 of preseason, Green will get his shot alongside 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel is getting the starting nod, but Green should have plenty of snaps in the second half of the game.
Green is a flawed QB, but possesses monster tools. His arm strength is absurd, and he runs a sub-4.40 40-yard dash. He displayed his rushing ability throughout college, posting 2,405 career rushing yards on 459 attempts (5.2 yards per carry).
Furthermore, college sack yards count against rushing yards. This already great efficiency for Green could be scaled up to league-leading NFL quarterback rates.
His 24.5-yard rushing line for today is potentially obscene with the opportunity to unleash his legs. Given the chance that this is his only opportunity to play QB all season, Green may try to make the most of it on any given play.
Pick: Taylen Green Over 24.5 Rush Yards (PrizePicks)
