Week 3 of the NFL kicks off tonight with the Pittsburgh Steelers hitting the road to face the Cleveland Browns. Despite leading the AFC North, the Black and Gold are underdogs in this divisional contest.
Cleveland Browns QB Jacoby Brissett gets ready to throw the ball after faking a handoff during the team’s upset loss to the New York Jets in NFL Week 2. The Browns face the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight, ready to move ahead. (Image: Associated Press)
As the Steelers (1-1) and the Browns (1-1) prepare to meet tonight, the game could define the future of the division. After the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, football fans expected the Steelers to enter a reconstruction period of at least three or four years. However, Mitch Trubisky has become a bright star that promises to take the team the distance this year or next.
But the Steelers will not have it easy. Although they lead their division, they do so only by point difference. They share their 1-1 record not only with the Browns, but with the Baltimore Ravens. In the division, only the Cincinnati Bengals are not in contention, as they have yet to win a game.
Tight Battle for the Lead
Pittsburgh lost in Week 2 to the Patriots 14-17, where they managed just one touchdown. The Steelers are fifth in terms of the least passing yards, 172 through two games. However, head coach Mike Tomlin says that this is no reason to raise alarms.
If there is one aspect that Pittsburgh can highlight, it is its defense. Alex Higshmith is tied for sack leader, with three takedowns in two games. On a collective level, the team has seven sacks. At the same time, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has two interceptions.
On the other hand, Cleveland has in Nick Chubb and his 228 rushing yards, one of the best running backs in the league. Because of him, the Browns are the best team in rushing yards per game, averaging 200 in the first two games. Defensively, Myles Garrett has had three sacks as the Brown Bombers continue to impress.
The Browns have called up a former cornerback to be on the roster today, but only for the game. Joe Haden signed a one-day contract to retire with the Cleveland Browns franchise, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The defensive back ends a 12-year career in style, wrapping things up where he began. He started with the Browns, then moved to the Steelers and is now back home.
In 141 times they have met, including three playoff games, the Steelers have a slight advantage. They’ve taken 79 games while suffering 61 losses and a tie.
Pittsburgh has won the last two meetings, most recently a 26-14 victory on January 3 this year. However, both teams are coming off Week 2 losses – the Browns to the Jets.
Steelers to Miss Watt
The Steelers took a hit when they faced the New England Patriots last week. It was an ugly, but not totally unexpected, loss. The team’s transition from Roethlisberger to Trubisky is underway and adjustments are needed.
What’s hurting them worse, though, is not having linebacker T.J. Watt. He’s out due to injury, and his absence was felt last week.
That, plus a Browns offense that has a superior running game, is part of the reason why the Steelers are +160 underdogs on DraftKings, +168 on FanDuel. Cleveland’s getting -190 and -200 with the sportsbooks.
Both teams are coming off a short week, which leads to expectations that this will be a low-scoring contest. The Over/Under is 38.5 across the board, but that may be too optimistic as energy will be a factor.
The Under is 7-2 for the Steelers when playing Cleveland on the road, but 2-5 in the last seven road games overall. Likewise, the Browns have seen the Under hit in five of their last seven against the Steelers. At home against them, the Under is seven of nine.
The Browns are getting 4.5 points. Although Pittsburgh’s struggling to find its rhythm, it can still cover. Fans can expect a tight match with a lot of hard-hitting action as both teams fight for position and respect.
The post ‘Thursday Night Football’ Has the Steelers as Road Underdogs Against the Browns appeared first on Casino.org.
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