Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Preview

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— Monday, January 03rd Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 17 of the NFL season will wrap up on Monday Night Football with a matchup of two teams from the AFC North Division. The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Cleveland Browns, and there are plenty of storylines coming into this matchup.

Cleveland has lost two straight games to fall to just 7-8 on the season, and they are going to have to win out to stay in the playoff race. The Browns were supposed to be a title contender this season, but injuries and COVID-19 have hurt their chances.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have only been slightly better this season, bringing a 7-7-1 record into this matchup. Pittsburgh has gone just 2-3 in their last five games, and they have suffered some bad losses during the 2021 seasons.

The Cleveland Browns are three-point betting favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers in this showdown.

Baker Must Lead Browns

If the Browns are going to win this game, then they are going to need Baker Mayfield to lead the way. Mayfield has thrown just 15 touchdowns to 11 interceptions this year, and his lack of accuracy has been a real issue.

Nick Chubb has racked up over 1,100 rushing yards this season, but the Browns have to find more balance on offense. They aren't facing a dominant defense in this game, but Pittsburgh has enough pieces to get some stops.

Cleveland is allowing just 22 points per game on defense, but that unit has been dealing with plenty of injuries. Getting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger will be a huge key for the Browns.

Steelers Can't Run

Pittsburgh has rushed for just 87 yards per game, and that has really killed the overall offensive production. The Steelers have just given up trying to run the football in most weeks, but they can't abandon that part of the game in this one.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is likely retiring after this season, and this will be his final home game. "Big Ben" has thrown for over 3,300 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, but it hasn't been easy.

The Steelers' defense will be looking to slow down the run and force Mayfield to try and beat them. There is plenty of pride with a number of Pittsburgh players, and they will want to protect the home field.

Steelers Shock the Browns

The fact that this could be the final game at Heinz Field for Ben Roethlisberger is going to have an impact on this game. Pittsburgh has not had a great season, but Roethlisberger has been known to deliver in the clutch many times for this franchise.

The season for the Browns went sideways in a hurry, and they are now limping to the season finale. Cleveland just hasn't been able to find enough offense of late, and that is going to be an issue again in Week 17.

This game should be low-scoring, but it will be the Steelers that do the majority of the scoring to deliver a win. Bet the Pittsburgh Steelers moneyline as they prove to be too tough for their division rival on Monday Night Football.

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