Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns Picks and Odds Week 17
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns Betting Preview
WagerTalk NFL handicapper Tony Mejia offers his Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns Week 17 betting preview for Monday, January 3. At the time of posting, the Browns have dropped to a 1-point road favorite in Pittsburgh, with the total sitting at 41.5 points.
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| NFL Week 17 | Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Cleveland Browns -1 at Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Total: | 41.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 8:15pm ET / 5:15pm PT on Monday, January 3 |
| Stadium: | Heinz Field in Pittsburgh |
| TV: | ESPN |
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns Analysis
The end of the Ben Roethlisberger era is upon us.
The 39-year-old quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champ will make his final regular-season home start at Heinz Field against a team he’s dominated throughout his career. The Lima, Ohio native has made a living of dominating his home state’s teams and has terrorized Cleveland most of all, entering this Monday night’s matchup 25-3-1 against a team that he’s seen twice a season for most of his tenure in the league.
The Steelers got revenge from last season’s elimination in the AFC Wild Card round that saw them upset by the Browns thanks to a 15-10 Week 8 triumph on Halloween. Roethlisberger hit Pat Freiermuth for a fourth-quarter and the defense held on in a game where rookie RB Najee Harris showed out with 91 yards on 26 carries.
Although Pittsburgh added a great piece in Harris, injuries along the offensive line have been a huge issue for a Steelers offense that also caught a bad break with Juju Smith-Schuster being lost for the season and Chase Claypool struggling to stay healthy. Roethlisberger will look to go out a winner by trusting Claypool and Diontae Johnson, which may be necessary since the Steelers have really struggled on the defensive side of the ball over the past few weeks.
Pittsburgh is on a 2-4 freefall since finishing its game against Detroit with a tie on Nov. 14. In those losses, the Steelers defense surrendered 41 in a shootout loss at the Chargers, 41 in a blowout loss at the Bengals and gave up 36 points at Minnesota and Kansas City.
The Steelers did manage to clamp down in December wins over the Ravens and Titans at Heinz Field and are hoping home cooking can aid the cause as they look to capture what’s essentially an elimination game against the Browns, who come in 7-8. A win would move the Steelers to 8-7-1 with a matchup at Baltimore slated for Jan. 9 that may be a winner-take-all affair.
Baker Mayfield contributed to a bunch of mistakes last time out, throwing four costly interceptions in a 24-22 loss at Green Bay. Despite a rocky month that has included him missing time with injuries and joining head coach Kevin Stefanski and backup Case Keenum on the COVID list after testing positive for the virus leading up to a 16-14 loss to Las Vegas at home, Mayfield nonetheless enters 2022 with a vote of confidence from his head coach.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt believes a shoulder harness has hindered Mayfield, but there’s no talk of replacing him with Keenum as of yet. We’ll see if that changes if the miscues continue but there’s no doubt that both offenses are going to be tasked with finishing the season on a high note if they’re going to play beyond Week 18.
The Steelers are the lowest-scoring team in the AFC North while the Browns have managed just 13 more points over their 15 games thus far.
Even though the preferred mode of getting things done has shifted for the Steelers due to offensive line issues keeping Harris from getting going, Roethlisberger is going to go down swinging in what’s expected to be his final regular-season appearance representing the Black and Gold. He through for just 159 yards in last Sunday’s blowout loss in Kansas City and threw for only 148 in the victory over the Titans, though he did do his best work late in both of those games.
With a pair of rivals that no each other so well looking to avoid elimination, the expectation here is that we’ll see both teams pull out all the stops. Roethlisberger wants to go out on top. Cleveland wants to get back up off the mat after COVID really threw their season into upheaval after a 24-22 win over Baltimore appeared to have them set up for a big finish.
Oddsmakers have the Browns favored by one point at most shops, so they’re not putting much stock into the sentimentality angle. The total has been set at 41.5 points, and I think we’ll see both offenses make inroads.
Although weather in the Pittsburgh area has been snowy and cold, the forecast for this Monday night clash features light winds and temperatures in the low 20’s with no snow or rain expected. That should aid a higher-scoring game than expected. Ride the over.
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#RaiderNation opens as a 3-point home ‘dog at @SuperBookSports with a playoff spot on the line next week. https://t.co/dUQVDbJ6HE
— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) January 3, 2022
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns Preview from GoldSheet
NFL Week 17 Stat Sheet
NFL handicappers Ralph Michaels and JM Sports put together a weekly NFL stat sheet that features game logs and key statistical notes for each team. Don’t place a bet on Monday’s Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns clash before diving into this FREE download.
NFL Opening Line Report | Week 18 Preview
The last week of the 2021-22 NFL regular season is upon us. Join Teddy Covers and Drew Martin for the NFL Opening Line Report at 1pm ET / 10am PT every Monday to recap Sunday’s action before breaking down the Week 18 betting market from three key angles: a) What were the look-ahead lines from last week; b) Where did the lines re-open after Sunday’s action; c) Where the lines are heading before kickoff this week.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the moneylines, point spreads, first half lines and betting percentages for all of the NFL Week 17 games, including this Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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