By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns
Sunday – October 31 – 12:00 p.m.
TV: CBS
FirstEnergy Stadium – Cleveland, OH
Records Before the Game
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3, 1-1 Away)
Cleveland Browns (4-3, 3-1 Home)
This week the Steelers go on the road to play Cleveland at home. The AFC North is packed right now and the winner will set the course in the division. Both teams need a win this week because the Bengals and Ravens are first and second in the AFC North at the time of this article. The loser of this game will fall to last place in their respected division. Let’s take a look at this week’s AFC match up.
The Walking Wounded
Browns QB Baker Mayfield will play Sunday. He sat out with a shoulder injury last week while Case Keenum lead the Browns to a 3 point victory over the Denver Broncos. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t been dominant under center like he has been in the past. His lateral movement is limited and escaping the rush is null and void. He has lingering injuries that are taking a toll on him now.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Over the Steelers last five games the team is 2-3 with back-to-back wins over Seattle and Denver. Their loses were to the Packers, Bengals and Raiders. Pittsburgh is a team that has talented players that need to step up. Running back Najee Harris is a huge factor on offense. He has 388 yards rushing on 102 attempts with a pair of touchdowns right now. You might think that his stats are mediocre, but his pass protection allows Big Ben to get the ball down the field. Pittsburgh’s offensive line is struggling to protect their quarterback. Keep an eye on the O-line because they will be the x factor for this game.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns started this season with high hopes and an offense that can score on any defense at anytime. Well, the offense is averaging 24 points per game while missing stars such as Odell Beckham, Jr., Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. The Browns are 4-3? Yes! Last week, back up QB Case Keenum beat the Broncos with back up players. Look for the Browns to win with a bunch of young talented players mixed in with returning stars at home this week. The running game will take the stage and expose the Steelers run defense which gives up 107 yards per game.
Prediction
ESPN has the Browns with a 56.1% of beating the Steelers at home. The over/under is 43, so take the over in this one. The team that plays solid defense will win the game. I’m taking Cleveland by 9!
Final Score
Browns – 33
Steelers – 27
