Browns vs. Steelers Pick
Will a rested Pittsburgh Steelers team be able to hand the Cleveland Browns a winless season when the two meet today at 1PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Pittsburgh is favored at home on Sunday, as the Steelers are getting odds of -6.5 points against the Browns. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 37.5 points. Pittsburgh has won five straight meetings with the Browns and the Steelers are 3-1-1 against the spread. The public betting in this game has 67 percent of the wagers going on the Steelers at home. Sunday’s game takes place from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and will air live on CBS.
Pittsburgh is coming off a 34-6 win at Houston last week to improve to 12-3 on the season. The Steelers can still earn the top seed in the AFC with a win and a loss by New England this weekend, but the team seems set to rest some of the key players and they will already be without Antonio Brown today due to injury. Pittsburgh comes into this game 7-8 against the spread on the year and just 1-4 ATS in their last five. The Steelers are holding opponents to just 18.9 points and 325.8 yards per game while averaging 25.2 points and 389.2 yards per game on offense. Ben Roethlisberger has thrown for 4,251 yards and 28 touchdowns to go with 14 interceptions. Le’Veon Bell has run for 1,291 yards and nine scores while catching 85 passes for 655 yards to lead the offense. The Pittsburgh defense is led by Cameron Heyward, who has 45 tackles with 12 sacks.
Cleveland is hoping to avoid joining an infamous group by going 0-16 for an NFL season. The Browns had a competitive game with the Steelers in Week 1, losing 21-18 at home. That was one of just three covers this year for the Browns, as they are 3-12 ATS for the season. Cleveland has struggled on offense all year, averaging just 14 points and 322.3 yards per game. DeShone Kizer has thrown for just 2,580 yards with nine touchdowns and 21 interceptions this year. Isaiah Crowell is the leading rusher with 832 yards while Duke Johnson Jr. has run for 328 yards and caught 68 passes for 618 yards. The Cleveland defense hasn’t been awful, allowing just 25.5 points and 338.9 yards per game. Their run defense is holding opponents to 96.1 yards per contest.
With Pittsburgh resting key players, the door is now open for Cleveland to pick up a win. Expect the Browns to come out with their foot on the gas wanting to avoid an 0-16 season. Cleveland already played competitively with Pittsburgh before, so they should have confidence to play well today. The Browns may not win, but I think they will keep it close.
NFL WEEK 17 PREDICTION: CLEVELAND BROWNS +6.5