Steelers vs Browns Betting Preview: Will Browns Make the Playoffs?

The Pittsburgh Steelers will travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns in a Week 17 matchup that has Playoff implications on the line.

The Steelers can clinch the #2 seed in the AFC with a win and a Bills loss on Sunday, while the Browns can clinch a Wild Card spot with a victory.

Will Pittsburgh keep the Browns out of the Playoffs or will Cleveland end their postseason drought? Kickoff inside First Energy Stadium is at 1 PM ET.

Steelers vs Browns Live Odds and Betting History

The following odds are courtesy of Bovada:

Teams	Spread	Money Lines	Totals
Pittsburgh Steelers	+7.5 (-110)	+270	Over 44.5 (-110)
Cleveland Browns	-7.5 (-110)	-340	Under 44.5 (-110)

Betting Data	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cleveland Browns
2020 Record	12-3	10-5
2020 Home	7-1	5-2
2020 Away	5-2	5-3
2020 ATS	9-6	6-9
2020 ATS Home	5-3	3-4
2020 ATS Away	4-3	3-5
2020 O/U	7-7-1	8-7
2020 O/U Home	5-3	4-3
2020 O/U Away	2-4-1	4-4

Steelers vs Browns AFC North Game Preview

These two teams have played against each other 137 total times with the Steelers leading the all-time series at 77-59-1. The Steelers have gone 9-1-1 against the Browns in the last 11 meetings. Cleveland’s lone win since 2014 came last year at home when Pittsburgh was playing a backup QB.

• The Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3) have cemented themselves with at least the #3 spot in the AFC. So, they don’t have to play their starters this weekend if they choose not to. It could be a smart decision to rest the starters considering that Pittsburgh never truly had a bye week this season.
• The Cleveland Browns (10-5) are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Jets where all of their wide receivers were on the covid list. Yet, even with the disappointing loss, Cleveland controls their own Playoff destiny. A win this weekend over their divisional rival will put them into the postseason.

Head to Head Betting Trends

• Steelers are 8-1-1 SU in last 10 matchups
• Steelers are 5-4-1 ATS in last 10 games
• Under is 6-4 in last 10 contests
• Under is 6-1 in last seven games at Cleveland

Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Trends

• 12-3 SU this season
• 9-2 SU in last 11 AFC games
• 5-2 SU in last seven road games
• 10-6 SU versus winning teams
• 1-4 ATS in last five games
• 5-1 ATS when an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5pts
• 10-3 ATS as an underdog
• 4-1 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7pts
• Under is 4-2 in last six games

Cleveland Browns Betting Trends

• 10-4 SU in last 14 games
• 6-12 SU versus winning teams
• 5-2 SU in home games this season
• 8-2 SU as a favorite this season
• 6-1 SU when a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5pts
• 2-9 ATS in last 11 AFC games
• 6-11 ATS versus winning teams
• 0-5 ATS in divisional games this year
• 4-8 ATS when a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5pts
• Over is 4-1 in last five Week 17 games

The spread opened with the Browns favored anywhere from -1 to -4.5 depending on the NFL betting site. Currently, Cleveland is now favored by 7 to 7.5 points depending on the sports betting website.

The Over/Under opened at 42.5 points and has gone up to an O/U of 44 to 44.5 total points depending on which online betting site you use.

Free NFL Sports Bet and Game Prediction: Under 44.5 points (-110)

Last weekend, the Steelers pulled off a miracle comeback as they were down 17 points in the second half of the game against the Colts. Pittsburgh was on its way to a 4^th straight loss before finding their offensive groove again and pulling out the 28 to 24 win.

I do not expect Pittsburgh to play starters like Ben Roethlisberger or James Conner on offense. In fact, early reports are that the team plans on resting many of their starters on both sides of the ball especially since they didn’t have a real bye week this season.

That’s great news for the Browns who need a win to get into the Playoffs. After losing two of their last three games, Cleveland went from a lock for the postseason to needing a win this weekend or losses by other potential Wild Card teams like the Colts, Dolphins or Ravens.

All of Cleveland’s clinching scenarios: #Browns pic.twitter.com/0Wq5yJE7yP

— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) December 28, 2020

This betting prediction is based on the Browns facing Steelers’ backups. If they were facing the starters for all four quarters then we would have a different wager.

With that said, I think the Under is the safe play for this Week 17 matchup. In the last 10 head to head meetings, these two teams combined to score an average of 41.4ppg. The Under went 6-4 over that stretch.

The Under is as 6-1 in the last seven contests where Cleveland hosts the Steelers. In fact, the Under is 11-5 in the last 16 overall meetings between these two teams.

When Pittsburgh was struggling and lost three straight games, they couldn’t manage more than 17 points. I don’t see the Steelers hitting that mark this weekend either.

In three of their last five games, including two straight, the Browns failed to score more than 27 points. They only put up 20 against the Giants and 16 against the Jets over the last two weeks.

I see Cleveland scoring 27 points this weekend and holding the Steelers to 17, which brings the Total just Under 44.5 points.

Will Cleveland Make the Playoffs?

Despite doing their best to miss the postseason with two losses in their last three games, the Browns will win on Sunday against the Steelers and make the postseason.

If the Dolphins and Ravens both win as well, then the Browns will end up as the 7^th seed in the AFC and most likely a Wild Card round game at Buffalo or Pittsburgh.

Steelers vs Browns Betting Recap:

• Oddsmaker: Bovada
• Moneylines: Steelers (+270) vs Browns (-340)
• Spread: Browns -7.5 (-110)
• Over/Under: 44.5 total points (-110)
• Prediction: Browns 27 – Steelers 17