Coming off a 29-24 road win over the Detroit Lions, the Pittsburgh Steelers opened as consensus five-point favorites ahead of their rematch against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field in Week 17. Betting network VSiN posted the odds, with the Steelers favored by as much as -5.5 on FanDuel and BetMGM and as low as -4.5 on DraftKings and BetRivers.
Cleveland is coming off a strong performance against the Buffalo Bills, as it had a chance to pull off an upset but ultimately fell 23-20. It was a costly loss, with the Browns losing RB Quinshon Judkins for the season following a gruesome leg injury. Judkins suffered a broken fibula and a dislocated ankle in the loss. At 3-12, the Browns don’t have anything left to play for except for pride, and EDGE Myles Garrett is just one sack away from breaking the NFL single-season record.
Cleveland would surely like to play spoiler against the Steelers, who could clinch the AFC North next week, pending the result of the Baltimore Ravens matchup with the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football (as of this writing the game is tied 10-10 at the half). Even with the Browns out of the playoff race, it should still be a raucous environment with Dawg Pound denizens showing up to watch their team try to pull off a win in a rivalry game.
It will also be the Steelers’ first look at Browns QB Shedeur Sanders. In Pittsburgh’s Week 6 matchup against Cleveland, the Browns started fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, but they turned to Sanders as their full-time starter in Week 12. He led them to a win over the Las Vegas Raiders but is 1-4 as a starter this season.
The Steelers could be without WR DK Metcalf, who is facing a possible suspension following an altercation with a fan in the first half of Pittsburgh’s win over the Lions. The league will review the incident for potential discipline.
But the Steelers are entering the game on a hot streak as winners of their last three games, and they thoroughly dominated the Browns in their Week 6 win, coasting to a 23-9 victory as the Browns failed to score a touchdown. Without Judkins, it’s going to be harder for Cleveland to pull off the victory, and it’s no surprise to see the Steelers favored even though they’ll be heading on the road given how they’ve played lately.