Despite losing to the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, the Pittsburgh Steelers opened as 6-point favorites in Week 14 against the Browns. With Pittsburgh at 9-3 and coming off a 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals while the Browns fell 41-32 against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. They’re now 3-9 on the year.
Some oddsmakers have the line favoring the Steelers at 6.5-points but per VSIN, the consensus sits at six. The over/under remains relatively low at 42.5. The Browns and Steelers were the only teams to register more than 500-yards of offense in Week 13.
Pittsburgh’s loss to Cleveland came on the road, and the Steelers will surely have a home-field advantage on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium. The Week 12 matchup also came in snowy, windy conditions which affected the style of play, and the Steelers offense showed a lot of growth in Week 13 after struggling for most of the game against Cleveland. QB Russell Wilson threw for a season-high 414 yards, and if the Steelers carry that momentum over against Cleveland, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they’re able to win and cover.
QB Jameis Winston has provided a spark for Cleveland’s offense, and he played well against the Steelers, throwing for 219 yards. RB Nick Chubb, who returned in Week 7 for the Browns after suffering a gruesome knee injury, also has played well, and he ran for two touchdowns against Pittsburgh in Week 12. It’s a battle between two teams who know each other well, and despite Cleveland getting the better of Pittsburgh in their last matchup, the Steelers have been the better team for most of the season, and Vegas expects them to get some revenge on Sunday.
Monday night’s game saw the best and worst of Winston, throwing for 497 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions in the loss. Two of his picks were returned for touchdowns while his third interception came in the final seconds in Denver’s end zone. In total, the Broncos returned his three picks for 166 yards.
WR Jerry Jeudy had a monster game against his old team, posting 235 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos. The team’s clear-cut No. 1 receiver since trading Amari Cooper to the Bills, he has 100-plus yard outings in two of his last three games. In the first meeting against Pittsburgh, he caught six passes for 85 yards.
Browns DE Myles Garrett had a big performance against the Steelers in Week 12 but had a quieter outing against the Broncos. He recorded four tackles (one for a loss) a QB hit and a sack. Garrett finished the game but appeared to be fighting through a hamstring injury.
Pittsburgh is 9-3 against the spread this season, and they won on Sunday despite entering the game as three-point underdogs against Cincinnati. The performance of OLB T.J. Watt will also be a storyline heading into Sunday’s game, as he got outplayed by DE Myles Garrett in Week 12, as Garrett took over the game with three first half sacks while Watt was quiet. But Watt got two sacks, including a strip-sack, in Week 14, and there’s a chance the Steelers’ pass rush could be bolstered with the return of OLB Alex Highsmith, who’s missed the team’s last three games with an ankle injury.
The Steelers lead the AFC North at 9-3. The Baltimore Ravens sit at 8-5 while the Cincinnati Bengals are 4-8 and Browns 3-9.
