Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns Betting Preview

AFC North rivals will meet up in Cleveland on Sunday to wrap up the NFL regular season. The 10-5 Cleveland Browns will host the 12-3 Pittsburgh Steelers in one of the best rivalry games in the league.

Pittsburgh has already won the AFC North, which will allow it to rest some of its starters in this game. The Steelers recently suffered a three-game losing streak, but Pittsburgh appeared to figure things out again in Week 16.

Cleveland has now lost two of its last three games, and its back is up against the wall in Week 17. The Browns can still make the AFC playoffs with a win, but beating the Steelers has been a struggle for this team.

The Browns are 9.5-point favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. 

Steelers Defense Can Dominate

The Steelers are holding opponents to just 19.2 points per game, which is the second-best average in the league. Pittsburgh held the Browns to just seven points in a win earlier this season, and that unit will look to do the same on Sunday.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not be playing in this game, and that will put Mason Rudolph under center. It's unclear how many defensive starters will have the game off as well. 

Pittsburgh has struggled to run the ball in 2020, and that will be a focal point in this game. The Steelers will have to keep the Browns' aggressive defense off-balance if they want to give Rudolph a chance. 

Browns Want to Run

The Browns enter Week 17 averaging more than 145 rushing yards per game. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt have both rushed for more than 800 yards this season, and they will have to find some running lanes against a great Pittsburgh defense. 

Quarterback Baker Mayfield has completed just 62 percent of his passes this season, and he has also been sacked 22 times. The Browns have to find a way to get more out of the passing game in this one.

The Cleveland defense will also need to play much better on Sunday as it has given up nearly 27 points per game. Cleveland gave up 38 points to the Steelers earlier this season, but it won't have to worry about Roethlisberger in this matchup. 

Pittsburgh Ruins Browns Celebration

These two teams do not like each other, and Pittsburgh would love nothing more than to keep the Browns out of the playoffs. The Steelers don't really have anything to play for, but they aren't going to make things easy on the Browns.

Mayfield has been extremely inconsistent this season, and it's hard for the Browns to really depend on him. The Browns will want to run the football, but Mayfield will be forced to make some big plays late.

Look for the Steelers to not only cover the spread but to come into Cleveland and win this game outright. The playoff drought continues in Cleveland. 

Bet the moneyline and take the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Cleveland Browns in Week 17.

For more Dunkel Index NFL picks, check out our NFL picks page.