The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns kick off on Thursday in a Week 3 NFL showdown at FirstEnergy Stadium. When these two teams faced off on January 3rd it was the Steelers that secured the 26-14 victory.
The Steelers come into this game with a 1-1 record overall, but even in their win, they weren’t all that impressive. The Steelers opened up the season with a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, and in the last game they lost to the New England Patriots 17-14. Mitch Trubisky hasn’t been awful this season, but he hasn’t been good enough. Trubisky completed 21 of his 33 passes for 168 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the last game. Najee Harris rushed 15 times for 49 yards. In this game, the Steelers need to get the offense going early, and they need a big game from Trubisky.
On the other side of this matchup is the Cleveland Browns, who sit with a 1-1 record overall, but they really have to feel like they should be 2-0. In the first game, the Browns beat the Carolina Panthers 26-24, but in the last game, they lost to the New York Jets 31-30. The Browns blew the lead against the Jets in the last two minutes, and that led to the defeat. Under center for the Browns is Jacoby Brissett and in his last start, he completed 22 of his 27 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Nick Chubb rushed 17 times for 87 yards and three touchdowns. In this game, the Browns require the defense to be strong, especially as the game goes on.
The Steelers are 3-1-1 against the spread in their last five games against the AFC. The Browns are 3-7 against the spread in their last 10 games overall. The under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings. The Steelers are 5-1 against the spread in their last six meetings.
The Steelers haven’t been great this season, but the Browns also have shown they can’t be trusted, especially with the defense. In this game, I expect the Steelers defense is going to be good, and Brissett is going to have at least one interception in this game. The Steelers might not win this game, but they are going to do enough to keep this game close. Back the Steelers against the spread.