The Pittsburgh Steelers have now lost their last four games and will head into their Week 11 road game against the Cleveland Browns with a 4-5 record. The Steelers, however, opened as 8.5-point road favorites over the still winless Browns, according to VegasInsider.com.
The Browns, who lost 28-7 Thursday night on the road to the Baltimore Ravens, are expected to start rookie quarterback Cody Kessler against the Steelers next Sunday. If that winds up being the case, he will be the third rookie quarterback that the Steelers have faced so far this season. They are currently 0-2 against such quarterbacks entering Week 11 as they lost to Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 and Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Only three times have the Browns scored more than 20 points in a game so far this season. Their rushing attack is led by running back Isaiah Crowell as he enters Week 11 with 551 yards and 5 touchdowns on 121 total carries. Receiving-wise, Terrelle Pryor leads the way for Cleveland with 51 catches for 627 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Sunday will mark the Steelers third game against a team within their own division. They were 1-1 in their first two games that included a Week 2 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and a Week 9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Since 2004, the Steelers are 21-3 against the Browns and 9-3 in games that were played in Cleveland. Their last loss to the Browns came in 2014 and in Cleveland. In that game, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 21 of his 42 total pass attempts for 228 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Since the line opened, the Steelers are now favored by 9-points at several of the online betting sites. The over/under opened at 49.5-points.
This is a game they clearly must win to get their season back on track.
