Will the Steelers hold their own in Cleveland, too?
The Browns are currently in better shape than the Texans, the Cowboys, the Rams, the Chargers, the Packers, or the Patriots. Very few would have expected that, which makes our Browns vs. Steelers pick for Thursday all the more interesting.
The same can be said—with slight caveats—about the Steelers, whom few believed in either. In their 30–27 victory over the Bengals on Sunday, however, they racked up an outstanding 411 total yards, 273 of which were accounted for by Aaron Rodgers.
So the old man still has it, as evidenced by his 700 passing yards so far this season. That’s 84 more than Trevor Lawrence and 115 more than Drake Maye. While his counterpart, Deshaun Watson, has also been performing above expectations, Rodgers is definitely the primary reason to favor the Steelers in Thursday Night Football.
The second reason is their superior defense, which has allowed only 305.7 yards and 20.0 points per game so far. So for Browns vs. Steelers, our prediction is an away win for Pittsburgh, which would keep them on track for a winning record in Mike Tomlin’s first year back.
So, for the Browns vs. Steelers game, betting on the under is also a top option. In the last five matchups, an average of just 31.6 total points were scored—and we don’t expect too many on Thursday either.
Cleveland Browns – Pittsburgh Steelers Head-to-Head Record
As previously mentioned, this matchup has recently been a sure bet for low-scoring games. 31.6 total points is already at the lower end of the NFL scoring scale. In their last meeting, only 19 total points were scored.
Three of these last five matchups went to the Browns, who naturally have a better chance of upsetting the favored Steelers in low-scoring games. Thus, the Browns vs. Steelers betting odds on the total points going under, as well as on both teams individually, are each interesting options. We also consider bets on Pittsburgh and the under to be solid plays, as we still believe the Steelers will pull off a narrow victory here.
Cleveland Browns – Pittsburgh Steelers Pick
The Steelers have frequently struggled in Cleveland in recent years, but those struggles often had a name: Myles Garrett. He no longer plays for the Browns, which drastically improves Pittsburgh’s chances. Furthermore, the Browns’ wins so far haven’t been convincing enough for us to say they’re in great form right now.
So for Browns vs. Steelers, a bet on Pittsburgh -2.5 is still our preferred betting option. Closely followed, however, by the “under” bets we’ve recommended several times already (currently 38.5).
As for player bets, we’re placing our full trust in Jaylen Warren. Since his co-starter, Rico Dowdle, got injured last Sunday, the backfield should be entirely Warren’s to run, making TD bets on Warren a very viable option.
