The Cleveland Browns (+8) are traveling east to take on their AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. This early afternoon game is scheduled to get going at 1:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to CBS.
Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Preview
In this Sunday AFC game, Pittsburgh has been tabbed as the favorite and is currently giving up 8 points. The Browns are also receiving +260 moneyline odds while the Steelers are -330. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 51 points, and should one squad can find paydirt early, it would likely create a solid in-game betting scenario.
Betting odds have shifted slightly from where they were first set. The line opened at -8 and the game’s O/U was initially set at 50.5.
The Browns have lost 1.8 units so far and are 5-2 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an Over-Under mark of 3-4. The Steelers have lost 0.1 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 3-3 ATS and four of their games have gone over the total.
The Browns have gone 2-4-1 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against AFC North opponents. The Steelers are 3-2-1 SU overall and 1-1 SU against divisional foes.
Cleveland comes into this matchup on a two-game winning streak while Pittsburgh has dropped each of its last two. The Browns fell to Tampa Bay 26-23 in a Week 7 nailbiter where their defense allowed the Buccaneers to pass for 365 yards while rushing for 114 yards and three scores. On the offensive side, Baker Mayfield completed 23 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Chubb (80 rushing yards on 18 attempts, one TD) led the running attack. Jarvis Landry (10 receptions, 97 yards, one TD) and David Njoku (four catches, 52 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Pittsburgh is coming off of a 28-21 win over Cincinnati. Ben Roethlisberger completed 32-of-46 passes for 369 yards and one touchdown. James Conner (111 yards on 19 rush attempts, two TDs) mounted the running attack while Vance McDonald (seven receptions, 68 yards) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (seven catches, 111 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Cleveland has run the ball on 42.6 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Pittsburgh has an overall rush percentage of 33.4 percent. The Browns have run for 135 yards/game (including 145 per game against North opponents) and have nine scores on the ground this year. The Steelers are totaling 89 rushing yards per game (97 in conference) and have eight total rush TDs.
It appears that the Steelers might have the more disruptive lines up front. Their offensive line has allowed only nine sacks while the D-line has logged 22 sacks. The Browns O-line has given up 31 sacks and their defense has recorded only 19 sacks.
The Browns offensive scheme has averaged 250 yards in the air overall (270 per game against conference opposition) and has eight passing TDs so far. The Steelers have produced an astonishing 339 pass yards per game (326.0 in the AFC) and have 12 total pass scores.
Defensively, Cleveland has allowed 135 rush yards and 295 pass yards per game. The Pittsburgh defense has allowed 305.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 97.8 yards per game to opposing runners. The Browns are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.21 to opponents, while the Steelers have given up a 6.74 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Mayfield has put up 1,053 yards this season, and has connected on 61 percent of his 141 attempts with five passing scores and three interceptions. He has a 6.02 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 4.11 over the last two games.
In the other locker room, Ben Roethlisberger has completed 151-of-232 passes for 1,783 yards, nine TDs and five INTs. Roethlisberger’s ANY/A stands at 6.97 for the year and 8.72 over his past two outings.
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The O/U for Cleveland’s last game was set at 52. The under cashed in the team’s 26-23 defeat to Tampa Bay.
Cleveland has averaged 4.6 yards per carry over its past three games and 5.0 over its last two.
Pittsburgh has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.9 over its past two.
The Pittsburgh offense has lost four fumbles this season while Cleveland has lost three.
Over its last three contests, Cleveland is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Cleveland has lost four of its last five games SU, with a three-point win over Baltimore on October 7th representing the only victory over that span.
The O/U for Pittsburgh’s last matchup was set at 49.5. The under cashed in the 28-21 win over Cincinnati.
Over its last three matchups, Pittsburgh is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Browns offense has tallied three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Steelers have put up five such plays.
Both defenses have allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Cleveland defense has given up seven pass plays of 30+ yards while Pittsburgh has given up 10 such plays.
The Cleveland offense has created nine rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Pittsburgh has created five such runs.
The Browns defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Steelers have given up four such runs.
The Pittsburgh defense has produced 22 sacks on the year while Cleveland has 19.
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