Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns Prediction & Betting Tips - NFL

Prediction published on 17/09/2023, 18:32  by Joseph King | Modified on 17/09/2023 at 18:32 in NFL Predictions

A classic AFC North rivalry comes to Monday Night Football in week two of the 2023/24 NFL season. The 0-1 Pittsburgh Steelers will look to get back to winning ways when they host the 1-0 Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh were highly disappointing in their season opener as they fell 30-7 at home to the San Francisco 49ers. Despite the Niners being one of the Super Bowl favorites, fans will have been expecting much more fight from the Black and Gold. They’ll now return to Heinz Field with the chance to even up their record against a heated rival. Pittsburgh were unable to contain San Francisco’s running game last week as they gave up 188 yards on the ground. This led to the Niners holding 37:23 of the possession compared to just 22:37 of the Steelers. They’ll likely face a similar challenge in this game with Nick Chubb and the Browns rushing corps.

The Browns upset the odds in week one, dominating last season’s AFC Championship runners-up the Cincinnati Bengals 24-3. Cleveland’s defense performed remarkably well against Joe Burrow and the Bengals. However, the former LSU man was clearly affected by a lingering injury. The Browns controlled the game by racking up an impressive 206 rushing yards through Nick Chubb’s contribution of 106 yards on 18 carries. It was certainly a good start as the team finished bottom of the division last season with a disappointing 7-10 record. The Browns ranked 17th last season in points scored per game at 21.2, something that the arrival of quarterback Deshaun Watson was meant to remedy. Unfortunately for Browns fans, Watson is not living up to the mammoth $230 million guaranteed contract that the team dished out.