NFL Game Odds: Steelers at Browns TNF | Before the start of the 2024 NFL season, a lot of sports betting analysts thought that the AFC North would be one of the tightest divisions in the NFL.
The Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers have been contenders, but the other two teams – Cincinnati and Cleveland – have been inconsistent, and the Browns have turned into a dumpster fire after a 35-14 loss to New Orleans last week.
The Browns struggled with everything from blown pass coverages to missed field goals to dreadful special teams coverage.
While Cleveland did run up 443 yards of offense, that didn’t turn into much in the way of scoring.
Now the Browns have dropped eight of nine, with that only win coming in Jameis Winston’s season debut at quarterback over Baltimore.
Winston threw for 395 yards on Sunday, but nothing that he did could make a dent in the New Orleans advantage.
At 2-8, the Browns now prepare to welcome the 8-2 Pittsburgh Steelers on a short week.
Can the Browns pull off another one of their shocking upsets of the Steelers, or will Pittsburgh take care of business?
Don’t commit to any wagers until you’ve read our predictions.
NFL Game Odds: Steelers at Browns TNF in Week 12 | NFL 2024/25 Season
NFL Game Odds Subject to Change: Cleveland +3.5 (O/U 36.5)When: TNF, November 21, 2024, 8:20 pm ET
Where: FirstEnergy Field, Cleveland
TV: Prime Video
Radio: Westwood One
Live Stream: Prime Video
Pittsburgh Steelers TNF Line -193
If you like the Steelers, then you see them developing despite the fact that their offense struggled. The defense got three turnovers, and the Ravens missed two field goals. On those five ensuing possessions, the Steelers only scored a total of nine points. Russell Wilson went 1 of 8 for -1 yards, a pick and four sacks when he was under pressure.
Russell Wilson
In the red zone, he went just 2 of 9 for seven yards and another interception. He had similar problems last week against Washington before figuring things out in the fourth quarter. The Baltimore defense has worse stats than the Washington unit, but it didn’t matter because Wilson couldn’t recreate his earlier success. Pittsburgh also didn’t get much out of wide receivers – other than George Pickens.
He had eight catches on a dozen targets for 89 yards, but the whole rest of the wide receiver room had just two catches on four targets for three yards. The Steelers’ faithful should be thankful for Chris Boswell, who has a franchise record four games with at least four field goals made this season.
Making the move from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson has elevated the Steelers’ offense – but it hasn’t made the unit elite. He has six touchdown passes and two picks in four games as the starter. George Pickens (48 catches, 728 yards, 2 TD) has caught the lion’s share of Wilson’s passes. Calvin Austin III (17 catches, 262 yards, 2 TD) has kicked in, along with tight end Pat Freiermuth (31 catches, 295 yards, 3 TD).
Najee Harris
Tailback Harris has emerged as a tough ball carrier, with 708 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 4.0 yards per carry. The team is just average on offense (14th with 23.3 points per game and 19th with 324.0 yards per game). However, their defense is elite, ranking second in scoring permitted (16.2 points per game) and eighth in total yards permitted (305.3 per game).
The Steelers rank ninth in third-down conversions allowed (34.9%) and eighth in red zone touchdown allowed (48.2%). Pittsburgh’s strong defense could pressure Jameis Winston into mistakes and give their offense good field position.
Cleveland Browns TNF Line +155
The Browns do have some positive news coming at the wide receiver position. Jerry Jeudy had 142 receiving yards, his first triple-digit game since 2022. Elijah Moore had a terrific catch for a score. Cedric Tillman even added 47 receiving yards. All of them are under 26 and have taken on more of a role since the Browns traded Amari Cooper to Buffalo.
Taysom Hill
The primary problems came on defense and special teams. In the week’s press conferences, the Browns talked about how much they would need to watch Swiss Army-knife player Hill, who can pass, punt, and catch – but not well enough to start in either role.
He caught eight passes against Cleveland, a career best, threw a pass completion and had three rushing touchdowns. On special teams, Dustin Hopkins missed two field goals, including a 27-yarder, to wind up the first half. He has started 134 games, but he’s only had more than one field goal miss in two of those, including Sunday.
Jameis Winston
Winston threw for 395 yards and two scores in the loss to New Orleans. Since taking the starting job over from Deshaun Watson, Winston has a 61.4% pass completion rate, a 7:3 TD:INT rate, and 1,047 passing yards. Jerry Jeudy now has 39 catches for 560 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Elijah Moore has 39 catches for 315 yards and a score, and tight end David Njoku has 39 catches for 336 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Offense
Cleveland struggles offensively, ranking 31st in scoring and 27th in total offense. They lead the league in sacks allowed, rank third worst in third-down conversion rates, and are 23rd in red zone touchdown percentage. Defensively, they are 24th in points allowed and 19th in total yards per game. The defense gave up 214 rushing yards to New Orleans without a standout running back.
NFL Game Odds: Steelers at Browns TNF Final Score and Prediction in Week 12
Cleveland Injuries
For the Browns, the injury list is very long. Offensive tackle Dawand Jones (knee) will not play Thursday. The questionable list includes offensive tackle Jack Conklin (knee), cornerback Denzel Ward (chest), guards Wyatt Teller (knee), Joel Bitonio (foot), Zak Zinter (knee) and Michael Dunn (illness), as well as centers Ethan Pocic (back) and Luke Wypler (ankle).
Pittsburgh Injuries
The Steelers are a lot healthier as a team. The only questionable on their injury report are center Zach Frazier (ankle) and linebacker Alex Highsmith (ankle).
If you like Cleveland, then you see some of the worrisome features of this AFC North rivalry bedeviling the Steelers. For whatever reason, the Steelers have dominated the Ravens in recent years, but the Browns have also been able to sneak up on Pittsburgh.
The Steelers do look locked in, but they are traveling on a short week, which always seems to throw a wrench in the plans of road favorites.
If you like Pittsburgh, then you see the sheer weight of injuries and the long season taking its toll on the Browns.
Dealing with drama surrounding Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb’s slow recovery, and Amari Cooper’s trade to Buffalo was demoralizing for the Browns, who began 2024 as AFC contenders.
I see the Browns fighting hard in the first half before things fall apart after dark. I predict a final score of Pittsburgh 23, Cleveland 13.
Some new faces enter the top 5 🔥
— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2024
(by @FedEx) pic.twitter.com/LzZsGaXyNN
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