Cleveland vs Pittsburgh Betting?
Headline: Eliminated AFC North Teams Play for Pride – Browns Visit Steelers in Week 17
We all knew that the AFC North would be tough, that it would likely produce two playoff teams but not many would have thought that the Pittsburgh Steelers would be one of the teams on the outside.
Cleveland Browns (5-10) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8)
Date/Time: Sunday, December 30, 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Heinz Field
Broadcast: CBS
Browns vs. Steelers Betting Lines from SportsBettingOnline.ag
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This week the Steelers close out what has been a disappointing Regular Season when they host the perennial bottom feeder of the Division- the Cleveland Browns who have shown marked improvement on the field but not in the standings in 2012. Although there is not a whole lot to play for, Sunday’s game still has its share of intrigue surrounding it.
The Cleveland Browns proved in 2012 that they do have some pieces in place in order to be competitive in the NFL for many years to come – Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson have proven to be solid pros and the Browns defense has shown signs of life this year.
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An ownership change and a total front office overhaul are on the horizon for this team – players will be looking to prove their worth for the next batch of management coming in.
Cleveland’s offensive numbers won’t jump off the page at you but there is no doubting that this unit is going in the right direction – that is until you realize that Brandon Weeden may be forced to sit the final game out with injury. The Browns own the 20th ranked passing game with an average of 216.87 yards per game, they have the 25th ranked rushing attack – surprisingly low when considering what Trent Richardson has done and they are 23rd in the NFL in scoring – 19.47 points per game.
Cleveland’s defense, although having a few nice pieces has let the team down yet again this season – 27th against the pass and 19th versus the run. The Browns give up 22.93 points per game – 19th in the NFL.
The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly had their chances to become a playoff team this year but injuries and unflattering play at precisely the wrong times of the season has the Steelers playing out the string with no chance of advancing. The Steelers defense was typically strong this year, Big Ben was effective but the lack of a decent running game really took this team out of their element. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Steelers enter the final week of the season with the 11th best passing game in the NFL – a stat that realistically should be better with Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders in the fold. Pittsburgh will be forced to play without their most reliable pass catcher Heath Miller in this game – he is gone for the season with a knee injury.
As for the Pittsburgh running game – who knows what to think? Jonathan Dwyer has been the workhorse and has guided the team to the 26th ranked rushing offense in the NFL – not great! Rashard Mendenhall may see some more action and gain a little market value as he hits the Free Agent market this offseason. The rushers are perhaps the ones with the most to gain in Week 17 – a good performance by either could result in a roster spot next year.
Pittsburgh enters the final week of the season with the #1 overall defense – #1 against the pass and #2 versus the run. This is a proud bunch that will certainly bring their best Sunday – no worries about the Pittsburgh “D”.
Betting Prediction:
A few trends to consider:
• The total has gone OVER in 7 of Cleveland’s last 10 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
• The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Cleveland’s last 25 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 6 games on the road
• Cleveland is 5-16 SU in its last 21 games
• Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
• The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Pittsburgh’s last 10 games at home
• Pittsburgh is 16-2 SU in its last 18 games when playing Cleveland
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games
It seems like an eternity since the last time we were talking about the Steelers not being in the playoff picture but that is exactly where we are heading into Week 17. If there is a more proud team in the NFL from the city to the management to the players, I can’t see it. Pittsburgh comes out in Week 17 and makes all the AFC teams thankful that the Steelers failed to qualify.
The Steel Curtain dominates and Pittsburgh makes it look easy!
Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers
