Cleveland may go 0-16, but the final three weeks of the season may be profitable for Browns bettors

The first thing I'm admitting is this is a very fractured headline. Giving advice on how to bet the Cleveland Browns might be published in the same trilogy with "How to Score Chubby Girls" or "Where to buy Hillary Clinton for President T-Shirts". Although they might make a collector's item someday.

But wait! Betting on the Brownies this month might not seem like such a bad idea. Yes, they are on pace to lose every NFL game this season, currently standing officially at 0-13 and 2-11 against the spread per wagering statistics guru Statfox. Looking closer though there are some clues that lead to a possible win or perhaps at least another cover or two in the remaining three competitive contests.

No Laydowns on First or Fourth Down

I specifically use the word "competitive" because no one can accuse Cleveland for not trying game-in, game-out. If anything, feel sorry for their long-suffering fans, who will face another home game in likely blizzard conditions next Sunday on Christmas eve.

Now here's the GOOD NEWS: I searched the list of top online sportsbooks looking for a current proposition wager on whether the Browns would lose all 16 and couldn't locate one. Meaning either there's a reasonable chance of them coming out on top for one game or something else is going on behind the scenes. In any case, I wouldn't suggest betting the money line in the remaining three games but a wager ATS is strongly worth considering.

Take last week's game against the Bengals as evidence. As a +4.5 closing underdog at offshore industry leaders Bovada, BetOnline and Diamond Sports, the Browns pulled off something unheard of in the first quarter. Facing a 4th and 1 at their OWN 20-yard line, they went for the first down. Again, this was the first quarter, not 3:00 minutes left in the game. Talk about having nothing to lose!! Then again, one man's desperate is another man's aggressive.

A Closer Orange and Brown Look

No doubt the last four Browns games were total flops, mostly due to ineptness on offense. But largely due to a team not knowing who was starting at quarterback until Wednesday each week. When you score 39 points total over four games, it's tough to beat anyone, no matter how great your defense in. And in defense of the Cleveland Browns defense, they haven't played too badly under horrendous conditions of no playoff hopes and a nation laughing at them. Most significantly, the Browns have lost 7 in a row against the spread. But except for the lopsided 35-10 loss to the Cowboys within the streak, have been reasonably competitive. That's not to say this squad has a long, long way to go before ever seeing a winning team again.

Perhaps the second week back return of often injured Robert Griffin III at QB or as we know him as RG3 may foretell his future and a solid value chance of "investment" with many points over the final three games. One thing's a lock, previous starters Josh McCown and Cody Kessler will unlikely be with Cleveland next season. This is RG3's major motivation to cement his starting job again for 2017 or absolutely save his NFL career elsewhere.

Speaking of elsewhere, another betting plus is to rule out any player will be "tanking" the final three games without knowing their jobs are also on the line. Head coach Hue Jackson is in his first year, absolutely returning with many assistants next year. The Browns have a boatload of extra draft picks scheduled for May 2017, secured with recent trades to help. That will only make current players that more uneasy. Therefore, expect no Browns to be giving less than 100% the rest of the way.

Take a Knee on the 49ers

If any team deserves a red flag of review, it's the San Francisco 49ers. Currently 1-12 and a not much better 2-10-1 against the spread per Statfox. The last two weeks have comparatively suggested this team has ended their season and are playing out the string.

After going on top 14-0 early at home against the awful New York Jets, the Niners fell asleep and lost 23-17. The previous week they were crushed by the Chicago Bears 26-6, who were playing their second-string quarterback. But maybe that's part of the 49ers problem. Is current QB Colin Kaepernick their starter, second string quarterback or third string? Or soon to be unemployed civil rights leader? After the last two "non-efforts" it would be difficult to trust the San Francisco 49ers as an endorsed play at any odds. As for their first-year coach, Chip Kelly, his odds have dropped on the NFL head coach betting firing list prop despite his new status.

Remaining Cleveland Browns Games (Odds courtesy of Bovada)

With giant rumors circling about Rex Ryan's job departure and QB Tyrod Taylor's possible future status in Buffalo, this is one strange wagering line. Frankly, the Bills should not be giving 11 point to anybody, anywhere right now. Coming off two straight losses, giving up double digits is a truly iffy proposition despite the Browns woes. Yes, the Bills defeats were to much better teams in Pittsburgh and Oakland. Count on bad Buffalo weather again this week and likely some hostile fans knowing the Bills playoff chances are over again for about the 15th straight season. A glimmer of hope here for a Browns upset if not a solid play with as many points as you can secure among the list of preferred offshore sportsbooks.

The following week on Christmas Eve might offer another possibility of either a win or at least a cover when the Browns are back home against San Diego. The Chargers season is over with another head coach almost certain to have one more week at most before seeing the pink slip. Teams sense that and funny things often occur.

The final week is too far off and difficult to forecast. The Browns game on the road in Pittsburgh offers a situation for the Steelers where they will need a win for the playoffs and playoff seeding. At best, getting a likely +16 or more is the only temptation. However, if the Brownies are 0-15 going in, the headlines will only focus on who their #1 messiah draft choice will be for next season. Here's hoping you're not glued to the NFL Red Zone, praying for the Browns to get a back-door meaningless TD to cover your bet.

Glenn Greene covers the games from a betting angle every week exclusively at OSGA.com. For weekly betting insights, inlcuding previews and picks from Glenn, click here.