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Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Preview

Monday Night Football features a battle of AFC North rivals as the Cleveland Browns (7-8) take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7-1). The Steelers will host this one at Heinz Field, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 pm ET.

The Browns come in struggling as they have lost two in a row and three of their last four. Last week, they lost 24-22 to the NFC top-seeded Green Bay Packers.

In the loss, Baker Mayfield threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, but the big disappointment was a whopping four interceptions he threw. Nick Chubb led the ground game with 126 yards rushing and a score.

The Steelers have also been scuffling a bit lately, losing two of their last three. Last week, they were decimated by the AFC-leading Kansas City Chiefs, 36-10.

Ben Roethlisberger threw for 159 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Diontae Johnson hauled in the lone touchdown to go along with 51 total receiving yards.

The Browns are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -184 to win while the Steelers’ moneyline sits at +154. The spread features Pittsburgh +3.5 (-115), and the over/under for total points is 41.5 (-110).

More Odds

Both of these teams are longshots to win the Super Bowl at this point. Cleveland is +10000 to win it all while the Steelers are +28000.

By The Numbers

Cleveland has had the better offense to this point in the season. They rank 19th in scoring averaging 20.9 points per game (23.6 on the road). The Steelers rank 22nd, averaging 20.1 points.

Defensively, it is again the Browns that hold the advantage. They rank 17th in scoring defense allowing opponents an average of 21.9 points per game (26.9 on the road). The Steelers rank 22nd allowing 24.7 points per game (20.5 at home).

Healthier Browns Hope To Finish Strong

No team in the NFL has been hit harder by COVID-19 than the Cleveland Browns. While they won’t use it as an excuse for their recent woes, it has certainly been a factor.

Luckily for Cleveland, they appear to be getting healthier. As of Sunday, there were ten players that had been upgraded to probable who had been previously out with COVID.

One of the biggest names is defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. In 12 games, he has 29 tackles and five sacks. He will also help take pressure off of Myles Garrett, who has 49 tackles, 15 sacks, and a forced fumble.

Offensively, the team is led by Baker Mayfield. In 13 games, Mayfield has shown inconsistency as he has still thrown for 2,825 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

On the ground, the team is led by running back Nick Chubb. This season, Chubb has rushed 207 times for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns.

The return of Kareem Hunt (COVID-19) should also help add another tool for Mayfield out of the backfield.

Could This Be Big Ben’s Final Home Start?

While nothing has been confirmed, there is speculation that Ben Roethlisberger could be done at the end of this year. If so, the future Hall-of-Famer would love to go out with a win in his final home game at Heinz Field.

This season, Roethlisberger has thrown for 3,373 yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.

Roethlisberger’s two favorite targets this season have been Diontae Johnson (92 receptions, 1,079 yards, seven touchdowns) and Chase Claypool (51 receptions, 806 yards, one touchdown).

On the ground, Najee Harris leads the way with 984 yards rushing and six touchdowns. He has another 422 yards in receiving with three more scores.

Take Cleveland To Win

For all intents and purposes, whoever wins this game still has a chance at the playoffs while the loser is likely out. For that reason, both of these divisional rivals will hold nothing back as they look to pick up a win.

While both teams have struggled as of late, it just seems as if the Browns are playing more inspired football. Yes, they lost their last two; however, it was by a combined four points. Look for them to continue to play hard in Pittsburgh Monday night.

Sadly, the same can’t be said about the Steelers. They have looked like a shell of the former Roethlisberger glory days. In their blowout loss to the Chiefs, they looked like a team that had already thrown in the white towel.

Expect Roethlisberger to give it his all in his last home start, but take the Browns to come out and win this game on the road.

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