Browns vs Steelers Prediction - NFL Picks 9/18/23

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The Cleveland Browns will play the Pittsburgh Steelers in one of two Monday Night Football games on Monday night at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Browns opened up their season with a win over Cincinnati, while Pittsburgh was blown out by the 49ers in their opener. 

Browns Preview

The Cleveland Browns are 1-0 this season after they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 24-3 in Week 1. Cleveland led this game 10-0 at halftime and pulled away in the second half for the easy win. The Browns out gained Cincinnati by a total of 350-142, but they did turn the ball over twice. Cleveland threw for 144 yards and ran for 206 yards, while going 4-14 on third down attempts. Deshaun Watson threw for 154 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while also rushing for 45 yards and a score. Nick Chubb rushed 18 times for 106 yards, while Elijah Moore caught three passes for 43 yards in the win. The Cleveland defense allowed 67 passing yards and 75 rushing yards, while holding Cincinnati to 2-15 on third down attempts. 

Steelers Preview

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 0-1 this year after they lost to San Francisco by a score of 30-7 last week. Pittsburgh came out very flat in this game and they trailed 20-0, until they scored with 10 seconds left in the first half. The Steelers were outscored 10-0 in the second half and they will look to bounce back in this matchup. Pittsburgh was out gained by a total of 391-239 and turned the ball over two times in the loss. The Steelers threw for 198 yards and ran for 41 yards, while going 5-15 on third downs and 1-3 on fourth down attempts. Kenny Pickett threw for 232 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in the game for Pittsburgh. Najee Harris had six carries for 31 yards, while Allen Robinson II caught five passes for 64 yards. The Steelers did spread the ball around, as nine players had at least one reception. The Pittsburgh defense allowed 203 passing yards and 188 rushing yards, while also forcing one turnover. 

Pittsburgh Steelers Team Facts

  • The Steelers have won seven of their last eight games as home underdogs following a loss.
  • The Steelers have covered the spread in seven of their last eight games as home underdogs following a loss.
  • The Steelers have scored the first touchdown in four of their last five Monday home games.
  • The Steelers have lost the first half in each of their last five September games at Acrisure Stadium.
  • The Steelers have lost the first quarter in seven of their last eight September home games against AFC opponents.

Cleveland Browns Team Facts

  • The Browns have lost four of their last five games as favorites following a Division win.
  • The road team has covered the spread in each of the Browns' last five Week 2 games.
  • The home team has won the first half in each of the Browns' last six games.
  • The Browns have scored the first touchdown in eight of their last nine Week 2 games.
  • The Browns have lost the first quarter in each of their last five road games against teams that held a losing record.

Pittsburgh Steelers Player Prop Facts

  • Najee Harris has scored at least one touchdown in seven of the Steelers' last eight games against AFC North opponents.
  • George Pickens has recorded 57+ receiving yards in eight of the Steelers' last nine games against AFC opponents.
  • Kenny Pickett has recorded 16+ rushing yards in each of his last four appearances following a loss.
  • Minkah Fitzpatrick ranked T1st in the AFC for Interceptions (6) last season

Cleveland Browns Player Prop Facts

  • Deshaun Watson has thrown two touchdowns in four of his five previous appearances with his team as a road favorite against AFC opponents.
  • Deshaun Watson has recorded 253+ passing yards in seven of his last eight September road appearances.
  • Nick Chubb has recorded 84+ rushing yards in each of the Browns' last seven September games as favorites.
  • Nick Chubb has scored at least one touchdown in each of the Browns' last four Week 2 games.
  • Nick Chubb ranked T4th in the NFL in Touchdowns (13) last season

Matchup/League Facts

  • The Steelers ranked 31st in the NFL in kickoff return yards per game (30.0) last season
  • The Steelers ranked 30th in the NFL in average punt return (5.9 yards) last season
  • The Browns ranked 6th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (146.5) last season
  • The Browns ranked T27th in the NFL in sacks (34.0) last season

Pick

The Steelers come into this game trying to bounce back after last week’s blowout loss, while Cleveland is coming off of an unexpected blowout win against the Bengals. Pittsburgh will bounce back with a better performance in this game, but I think Cleveland is better than a lot of people think. If the Browns can get decent production from Watson, they should have a very solid season. This might be an overreaction from last week, but I am taking Cleveland in this game. Cleveland’s defense played great last week, while the ground game racked up over 200 yards. I think that rushing attack is going to be the difference and I will take Cleveland to win by a field goal. 

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.

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