Browns vs. Steelers Point Spread: NFL Week 6 Odds, Prediction
It is an especially critical contest given that the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals are imploding early in the season, making the division completely up for grabs. Cleveland is lagging well behind at 1-4, while Pittsburgh comes in with a 3-1 record after enjoying a bye in Week 5.
The Steelers are an almost hard-to-believe 40-10-1 in this head-to-head matchup dating back to 2000. More recent trends tell a similar story, with Pittsburgh boasting a 14-6-1 mark since the start of the 2015 season.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Pittsburgh has covered the spread in two consecutive contests heading into Sunday. Cleveland, on the other hand, is a horrendous 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games. The head-to-head also favours the Steelers, who are 8-4 ATS in the last 12 encounters dating back to 2019. The under is 7-3 in the Browns’ last 10 and 6-4 in the Steelers’ last 10.
In addition to the more traditional NFL lines, the first-quarter spread is -0.5 in Pittsburgh’s favour and the first-half spread is -3.5. On the prop-betting front, Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is -155 to throw at least one touchdown pass. Pittsburgh QB Aaron Rodgers is +150 to toss two or more scoring strikes.
Cleveland Browns
Former Browns starting quarterback Joe Flacco was benched and now plays for the division-rival Bengals, so the reins have been handed to rookie Dillon Gabriel. With fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders watching from the sideline, Gabriel made his first NFL start last weekend during a 21-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. The third-round pick out of Oregon completed 19 of 33 passes for 190 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Cleveland’s issues extend far beyond the QB position. On offence, center Ethan Pocic and KT Leveston are questionable. If the line can’t protect an inexperienced quarterback, the Browns will be in trouble. Defensively, star pass rusher Miles Garrett is questionable along with top cornerback Denzel Ward.
Pittsburgh Steelers
At 41 years old, Pittsburgh signal-caller Aaron Rodgers is proving that he’s still got it. That’s not to say he is some kind of MVP candidate by any means, but he can still be a productive quarterback in this league. Through four games, Rodgers has completed 68.5 percent of his passes for 786 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.
Head coach Mike Tomlin will be chomping at the bit to throw his defence at a rookie quarterback. The Steelers are tied for fifth league-wide with 15 sacks, unsurprisingly led by elite edge rusher T.J. Watt with three. Ten different guys have recorded at least one sack.
NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Browns vs. Steelers?
The Steelers have absolutely owned this rivalry for several decades now; there is no reason to think that anything will change this weekend. Even though Rodgers is past his prime, his massive experience edge over Gabriel cannot be overstated. Throw in the fact that Gabriel will be trying to solve a creative defence that will attack from all directions, and this is an especially tough spot for the Browns’ offence. Let’s go with Pittsburgh 24, Cleveland 13.
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